---
source: Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office
url: https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/en/stat/juchu/2026/2601juchu-e.html
document_type: html
date_retrieved: 2026-03-19
period: January 2026
parent_publication: Machinery Orders Statistics
indicators_covered: [Machinery Orders MoM, Machinery Orders YoY, Total Machinery Orders, Private-Sector Machinery Orders]
---

# Machinery Orders in January, 2026

**Source:** Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan  
**Release Date:** March 18-19, 2026 (seasonally adjusted)  
**Data Period:** January 2026

## Results

### Key Headlines

1. **Total Machinery Orders:** The total value of machinery orders received by 280 manufacturers operating in Japan **decreased by 2.0%** in January from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis.

2. **Private-Sector Machinery Orders:** Private-sector machinery orders, excluding volatile ones for ships and those from electric power companies, **decreased by 5.5%** (seasonally adjusted) in January.

## Indicator Details

### Private-Sector Machinery Orders (Core Measure)
- **Month-over-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted):** -5.5%
- **Forecast:** -9.6%
- **Previous Month (December 2025):** +16.1%
- **Year-over-Year Change:** +13.7%
- **Previous Year (January 2025) YoY:** +10.5% (forecast)

This represents a significant moderation from December's exceptional strength (+16.1% MoM), though the monthly decline was less severe than the -9.6% forecast. The year-over-year growth of +13.7% remains elevated, indicating sustained strength in capital spending intentions despite the sequential decline.

### Total Machinery Orders
- **Month-over-Month Change (Seasonally Adjusted):** -2.0%
- This broader measure, which includes public sector and overseas orders, showed a more modest decline than the private-sector core measure, reflecting support from non-private demand.

## Assessment

The Cabinet Office views machinery orders as **"showing signs of picking up,"** an assessment maintained since October 2025. This characterization reflects the underlying uptrend in the year-over-year figure despite monthly volatility. The January decline follows a very strong December, typical of machinery orders data which experiences seasonal and volatile swings.

## Survey Scope

The survey covers 280 manufacturers operating in Japan and measures their received orders for machinery. The private-sector measure excludes highly volatile categories:
- Shipbuilding orders
- Orders from electric power companies

These exclusions are standard to isolate the core business investment signal from noise created by large, infrequent orders in those sectors.

## References

The release includes:
- **Chart-1:** Total Value of Machinery Orders and Chart-2 Private Sector (excluding volatile orders) — monthly trends and comparisons
- **Table-1:** Machinery Orders by Sectors
- **Table-2:** Percentage Change by Industrial Classification in Private Sector

Historical data and release schedule are available through the Cabinet Office economic statistics portal.

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**Note:** Machinery orders are a leading indicator of capital equipment spending and serve as a gauge of business investment intentions for the coming months. The exclusion of ships and power company orders isolates cyclical, business-driven demand from government and utility-sector factors.