Japan manufacturing output surges to 12-year high amid stockpiling in World Economy News 04/05/2026 Japan’s manufacturing sector expanded at its strongest pace in over four years during April, driven by accelerated production and new orders as companies stockpiled goods amid Middle East war concerns, according to S&P Global’s latest PMI data released Friday. The S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 55.1 in April from 51.6 in March, marking the highest reading since January 2022. Factory output grew at the fastest rate since February 2014. Manufacturing production expanded sharply as companies increased output to meet higher new orders and build inventory levels. Total new business rose at the quickest pace since January 2022, with firms citing greater client interest and concerns over future supply chain delays and price increases related to the war in the Middle East. “Concerns over future supply chain delays and price increases due to the war in the Middle East had led customers to place new orders,” companies reported in the survey. Some firms also noted increased demand for AI-related technology supported sales growth. Supply chain disruptions intensified, with delivery times for inputs increasing at the steepest rate in 15 years, matching levels last seen during the April 2011 Tohoku earthquake aftermath. The strain on supply chains pushed input costs higher, rising at the fastest rate in three-and-a-half years. All three monitored sub-sectors recorded improvement in business conditions, led by makers of intermediate goods. Higher sales and supply chain concerns prompted firms to raise purchasing activity, though the expansion rate eased from March. Stocks of purchases increased for the first time in ten months, albeit marginally due to widespread supply delays. Input cost inflation surged as supplier shortages and price revisions drove the strongest rise in overall production costs since October 2022. Companies cited higher prices for raw materials, oil, and transport. Manufacturers raised selling prices at the quickest pace since late 2022 to ease margin pressure. Employment in Japan’s manufacturing industry increased for another month, with the job creation rate the second-fastest since January 2022 as companies expanded capacity to meet rising customer demand. Outstanding business increased at the quickest pace since February 2014. Despite the expansion, optimism around the one-year outlook slipped to its second-lowest level since June 2020 as uncertainty around the war in the Middle East and its impact on global economic conditions dampened output forecasts. Source: Investing.com 2026-05-04 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share