The manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in April, and at a faster pace, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI score of 55.1.
That's up from 51.6 in March and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.
April survey data signaled a sharp and accelerated rise in Japanese factory output, with the rate of growth the fastest seen since February 2014. Companies generally attributed the upturn to higher new order intakes and efforts to build inventories due to uncertainty over the war in the Middle East. Total new business rose at a solid pace that was the quickest since January 2022.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.