August 11, 2011 According to the latest data released by the Japan Machine Tool Industry Association (JMTBA), in the first half of 2011, Japan's machine tool orders amounted to 674.092 billion yen, an increase of 52.9% compared with the same period of last year. This is mainly due to the economic recovery after the financial crisis and the growing demand from emerging market countries. The goal of the Japan Machine Tool Industry Association's annual forecast for 2011 for machine tool orders in Japan that is expected to exceed 1 trillion yen is already very close.

Data show that in the first half of 2011, the amount of machine tool orders from overseas markets was 466.12 billion yen, an increase of 52.2% year-on-year; the domestic machine tool orders were 207.972 billion yen, an increase of 54.4%. Both domestic demand and external demand increased by more than 50% year-on-year, but the status of the Japanese machine tool industry, which relied mainly on overseas markets, remained unchanged.

In June 2011, Japan's machine tool orders amounted to 128.373 billion yen, a year-on-year increase of 53.3%. This is the first consecutive month of positive growth in the Japanese machine tool industry. Among them, the domestic machine tool orders for the 41.692 billion yen, an increase of 42.6%; overseas orders for the 86.681 billion yen, an increase of 59.0%.