Core machine orders in Japan surged a seasonally adjusted 14.2 percent on month in March to 793.1 billion yen, the Cabinet Office said on Friday rising for the fifth time in six months.
The headline figure shattered forecasts for an increase of 3.5 percent following the downwardly revised 4.2 percent increase in February (originally 7.5 percent).
On a yearly basis, core machine orders added 2.4 percent - also beating expectations for a decline of 4.9 percent following the 11.3 percent contraction in the previous month.
The total number of machinery orders, including those volatile ones for ships and from electric power companies, saw a gain of 27.8 percent on month and 11.5 percent on year in March to 2,361.8 billion yen.
Manufacturing orders added 13.3 percent on month and lost 3.9 percent on year to 308.7 billion yen in March, while non-manufacturing orders spiked 14.3 percent on month and 9.8 percent on year to 475.9 billion yen.
Government orders surged 15.2 percent on month and fell 5.9 percent on year to 265.1 billion yen. Orders from overseas surged 52.1 percent on month and 27.5 percent on year to 1,025.4 billion yen. Orders from agencies jumped 35.2 percent on month and 11.3 percent on year to 120.9 billion yen.
For the first quarter of 2013, core machine orders were flat on quarter and dipped 4.6 percent on year at 6,041.0 billion yen. Total orders were up 7.1 percent on quarter and down 5.3 percent on year.
Manufacturing orders were down 1.7 percent on quarter and 12.1 percent on year, while non-manufacturing orders dipped 3.1 percent on quarter and added 2.8 percent on year.
Government orders added 0.1 percent on quarter and fell 6.9 percent on year. Orders from overseas gained 11.4 percent on quarter and lost 8.8 percent on year. Orders from agencies collected 13.3 percent on quarter and 4.2 percent on year.
For the second quarter of 2013, core machine orders are forecast to have fallen 1.5 percent on quarter and 7.7 percent on year.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Forex News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.