MONTHLY DATAMonthly Data Watch (Japan)
A monthly series that gathers the numbers around machining tools and equipment into one issue each month. We show only the last 24 months of values, plus the month-on-month and year-on-year changes for the latest month. All figures are taken from the publishers' own releases, with sources given for each month. For how to read them and the background, see the explainer article for each series.
Machine tool orders are the value of the orders that machine tool builders have received. It takes time from receiving an order to building and delivering the machine, and orders that have been received but not yet delivered are called the order backlog. When the backlog is large, builders have a lot of work on hand, and you need to allow longer machine lead times. Carbide tool production and tungsten prices are figures that bear on the price of the inserts and end mills used every day, because the cemented carbide in carbide tools is a material made by sintering tungsten carbide grains with cobalt.
This series is for factory staff considering equipment replacement or how to buy tools, people who sell machine tools and tools, and people who want to follow industry trends through numbers. Figures whose release timing and units differ by publisher are lined up in the same form in one place. Commentary and outlooks are not written in the issues; they are kept in separate explainer articles for each series.
Where to start
See just this month's changes
Follow the machine tool business cycle
Track overseas demand
Prepare for tool price increases
Figures covered
| Series | Details | Source | Release timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine tool orders | Total orders, domestic, overseas | JMTBA: preliminary order figures, final order figures, key machine tool statistics | Preliminary: early the following month |
| Machine tool exports | Exports, and by destination region (Asia [East Asia, Southeast Asia and other], Europe, North America, other) | JMTBA, Key machine tool statistics (based on the Ministry of Finance's Trade Statistics of Japan) | Late in the second month after, up to month-end (same day as the final order report) |
| Machine tool imports | Imports | JMTBA, Key machine tool statistics (based on the Ministry of Finance's Trade Statistics of Japan) | Same as exports |
| Machine tool production | Production value of metal-cutting machine tools | METI: Current Production Statistics (monthly final figures, e-Stat) | Final: mid-month, two months later |
| Carbide tool production | Production value of carbide tool bits, cutters, drills, end mills, others, inserts and cermet inserts | METI: Current Production Statistics (monthly final figures, e-Stat) | Final: mid-month, two months later |
| Tungsten price | Import unit value of tungstates (incl. APT) (yen/kg) | Ministry of Finance, Trade Statistics of Japan: import quantity and value | Around the end of the following month |
| Tool price revisions | Revisions announced or taking effect that month | Makers' notices and news releases | As soon as we find them |
- Updated in the middle of each month (after JMTBA's preliminary order figures and the final Current Production Statistics come out). Each issue is named for the month it is published and covers figures through the month before. For series released later, we show figures up to the latest month available
- Preliminary figures may be revised in the later final figures. Figures in past issues are left as they were when published; corrections are made together in the latest issue
- Machine tool exports and imports are JMTBA's tally of the Ministry of Finance trade statistics for the machine tools it covers. They exclude parts and machines outside JMTBA's scope. "Other regions" for exports is the remainder after subtracting Asia, Europe and North America from the total (processed)
- Machine tool production and carbide tool production are sums of production values by item, and tungsten is import value ÷ quantity, calculated by Kezuriba (processed)
All issues
Reading the numbers
Machine tool orders
Monthly total of the value of machine tool orders received by member companies of the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association (JMTBA)
- Publisher
- Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association (JMTBA)
- Release timing
- The preliminary report comes out in early the following month, and the final report, with breakdowns by region and by industry, a few weeks after that. The preliminary figure can be revised in the final report
Explainer: Machine tool orders (vs. the annual record, by region, by industry)
Machine tool exports (by region)
The value of machine tools exported from Japan (monthly total) and its breakdown by destination region. JMTBA's tally of the Ministry of Finance trade statistics for the machine tools it covers
- Publisher
- JMTBA, Key machine tool statistics (based on the Ministry of Finance's Trade Statistics of Japan)
- Release timing
- Published in JMTBA's Key machine tool statistics, released each month with the final order report, two months after the month in question (July figures at the end of September). About one month later than orders. Past months may be revised
- Kezuriba's calculation
- Other regions (Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania and so on) are calculated by Kezuriba as total exports minus Asia, Europe and North America (processed)
Explainer: Machine tool orders (vs. the annual record, by region, by industry)
Machine tool imports
The value of machine tools imported into Japan (monthly total). JMTBA's tally of the Ministry of Finance trade statistics for the machine tools it covers
- Publisher
- JMTBA, Key machine tool statistics (based on the Ministry of Finance's Trade Statistics of Japan)
- Release timing
- Published in JMTBA's Key machine tool statistics, released each month with the final order report, two months after the month in question (July figures at the end of September). About one month later than orders. Past months may be revised
Explainer: Machine tool orders (vs. the annual record, by region, by industry)
Machine tool production
The value of metal machine tools produced in Japan (the sum of the production values for items 0101–0122 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Current Production Statistics)
- Publisher
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Current Production Statistics, e-Stat)
- Release timing
- The final report is published on e-Stat in mid-month two months later. This page uses only the final reports
- Kezuriba's calculation
- Kezuriba totals the production values by item (processed)
Explainer: Machine tool orders and industry trends
Carbide tool production
The value of carbide tools produced in Japan (the sum of 7 items among the cutting tools in METI's Current Production Statistics: carbide bits, cutters, drills, end mills, other, inserts and cermet inserts)
- Publisher
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Current Production Statistics, e-Stat)
- Release timing
- The final report is published on e-Stat in mid-month two months later. This page uses only the final reports
- Kezuriba's calculation
- Kezuriba totals the production values by item (in thousand yen) and converts the total to million yen (processed)
Explainer: Carbide tool price increases (price revisions by maker and raw materials)
Tungsten price (APT import unit value)
The average price per kg of tungstates imported into Japan (including ammonium paratungstate = APT; statistical item number 2841.80-000). Import value ÷ quantity
- Publisher
- Ministry of Finance (Trade Statistics)
- Release timing
- For the 9-digit import item, a preliminary figure comes out around the end of the following month; it can be revised in the final figure afterwards
- Kezuriba's calculation
- Kezuriba calculates import value ÷ quantity (processed). It is not the market price itself but the average of what came in that month. Months with small quantities tend to swing
Explainer: Tungsten price surge and carbide tools (market prices, export controls, China's share)
Tool price revisions
Only revisions that the maker itself announced in its notices or news releases (announcement date, effective date, revision rate). The rate is the revision of the maker's selling price, not the price at distributors. Information that appears only in press reports is not listed.
Explainer: Carbide tool price increases (price revisions by maker)
Month on month and year on year
The issue cards show the latest month's value and its change, in %, from the previous month and from the same month a year earlier. Month on month suits seeing recent momentum, but it is also affected by month-specific quirks such as August, which has the summer holidays. Year on year compares the same month with the same month, so it is less affected by those quirks. We recommend looking at the two side by side.
Preliminary and final reports
For JMTBA orders, a preliminary report comes out first in early the following month, and a final report with breakdowns by region and by industry comes a few weeks later. The preliminary figure may be revised slightly in the final report. For METI's Current Production Statistics, the final report appears on e-Stat in mid-month two months later, so this page uses only the final reports. As a result, the latest month differs by series: orders run up to the previous month, and production up to two months earlier.
Import unit price is not the “market price”
The tungsten figure is the import value in the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics divided by the quantity, an average of what entered Japan that month. It is a different thing from the APT market price reported in places such as Rotterdam, and in months when the import volume is small the value swings widely. When following the trend, look at the flow over several months, not just one month.
FAQ
- Is the issue's “+60.4%” a different number from the “160.4% year on year” in the explainer article?
- They express the same thing in different ways (both are the total orders for September 2026). JMTBA's announcement and the explainer article write it as a ratio with the same month of the previous year as 100% (160.4%), while the issue card writes it as the increase (+60.4%).
- Why don't the numbers in past issues match the latest issue?
- Because preliminary figures can be revised by the later final reports. Past issues are left with the figures as of their publication, and the revised values are reflected together in the latest issue. Check the latest issue for the newest numbers.
- Why are machine tool production and carbide tool production about 2 months behind orders?
- Because the final reports of METI's Current Production Statistics appear on e-Stat in mid-month two months later. This page uses only the final reports, so it lists up to the months that are available.
- How do exports differ from overseas orders?
- Overseas orders are the value of orders Japanese manufacturers receive from customers abroad; exports are the value of machines actually shipped out of Japan. Because it takes several months from order to shipment, a rise in overseas orders shows up in exports a little later. Exports also include machines that leave through trading companies. Machines built in overseas plants and sold locally are in neither figure.
- Does the tool price revision list include every maker?
- No. It lists only revisions that the makers announced in their own notices or news releases, and does not include information that appears only in press reports. The revision rate is a revision of the maker's selling price, which is different from the price at distributors.