Japan’s industrial robot statistics for 2023: Significant YoY drop in orders and production

June 11, 2024

The Japan Robot Association (JARA; Chairman: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, President and CEO of Kawasaki Heavy Industries) announced on May 31 the annual statistics for orders, production, and shipments of industrial robots in Japan from January to December 2023 (both member and non-member totals).

In 2023, orders decreased 24.1% year-on-year (YoY) to 843.4 billion yen, production decreased 12.7% YoY to 891.6 billion yen, and total shipments decreased 12.2% YoY to 922.6 billion yen. Both orders and production were significantly lower than the previous year.

The demand environment for robots was weak throughout 2023 due to deteriorating market conditions in China. In addition to sluggish demand for semiconductors both in Japan and overseas, electronic component-mounting robots, which had been a strong driver of demand, declined mainly in China, while welding robots for Europe and the United States also stagnated.

The annual forecast for orders and production for 2024 was also revised downward from the 900 billion yen forecast announced in the New Year. Orders are expected to increase 2.0% YoY to 860 billion yen, and production is expected to decrease 3.5% YoY to 860 billion yen in 2024.