April 2025 Japan Machine Tool Orders: First non-fiscal month above JPY 130 billion in 2 years

May 16, 2025

The Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association (JMTBA) has released the preliminary figures for machine tool orders in April 2025.

Total orders amounted to JPY 130.2 billion, down 13.8% from the previous month, but still showing a seventh consecutive year-on-year (YoY) increase.

Although orders fell by approximately JPY 21 billion compared to the March figure of over JPY 150 billion—which included fiscal year-end demand—April marked the first time in two years (since April 2023) that monthly orders exceeded JPY 130 billion outside of the fiscal year-end period.

This indicates a level of resilience in demand, despite growing concerns over the global economic outlook.

Domestic Orders

Domestic orders dropped 30.1% month-on-month (MoM) to JPY 34.4 billion, reflecting the drop following the fiscal year-end surge. This marked the first MoM decline in three months and the first YoY decrease in six months.

However, compared to other recent non-fiscal-year-end months, the domestic order level remained relatively high, suggesting a generally flat trend.

Foreign Orders

Foreign orders totaled JPY 95.7 billion, down 5.9% MoM, marking the first decline in three months. Despite the decrease, foreign demand remained at a high level, with YoY growth recorded for the seventh consecutive month.

More detailed results will be available in the final report.