JP Market | Monthly Machine Tool Orders （March 2026)

The total value of machine tool orders in March was 193.47 billion yen. This increased 31.8% compared to February 2026 and marked the second consecutive month of month-on-month growth. Moreover, this figure represented an increase of 28.0% compared to the same month of the previous year and marked the nineth consecutive month of year-on-year growth.

The total value of orders exceeded 140 billion yen for the fourth consecutive month, and increased year-on-year for the ninth consecutive month, reaching a record high. (This surpasses the previous record of 182.86 billion yen set in March 2018.)

Machine tool orders in March remained strong, showing year-on-year increases in both domestic and foreign demand. Although March marks the end of the fiscal year and the first quarter, foreign orders were particularly robust.

Looking ahead, policy support is expected to boost domestic demand and sustained and further growth in equipment demand is anticipated in foreign demand. Domestic orders rose by 35.8% over February to 50.47 billion yen.

Furthermore, this figure showed an increase of 2.5% over the same month of the previous year. Looking at major industries, orders compared to February rose by 30.8% in industrial machinery, by 7.2% in motor vehicles, by 27.8% in electrical & precision machinery, and by 30.6% in aircraft, shipbuilding & transport equipment.

Foreign orders rose by 30.5% over February to 143.00 billion yen, marking the first month of month-on-month growth in three months.

In addition, foreign orders showed an increase of 40.4% over the same month of the previous year, and this marked the eighteenth consecutive month of year-on-year growth.

By region, orders from Asia rose by 36.0% over February to 75.09 billion yen. This increased 35.3% over the same month of the previous year.

Orders from Europe rose by 33.9% over February to 22.38 billion yen. This was an increase of 35.4% over the same month of the previous year.

Orders from North America rose by 20.4% over February, amounting to 43.06 billion yen. This figure showed an increase of 57.9% over the same month of the previous year.

*This article is reprinted from JMTBA (Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association)

Source: https://www.jmtba.or.jp/english/wjmtbap/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/JMTBA-NOTES-2026-04.pdf