Japan manufacturing growth slows amid Middle East war pressures in World Economy News 02/04/2026 Japan’s manufacturing sector expanded at a slower pace in March, with the S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index falling to 51.6 from February’s 45-month high of 53.0, according to data released Wednesday. The March reading marked the second-strongest performance since July 2022, though it indicated a modest pace of improvement. Data were collected between March 11-24. Factory output continued to increase for the third consecutive month, though at a softer rate than February. The expansion remained the second-quickest since April 2022. New orders also grew for the third straight month, with companies citing greater demand for semiconductors, AI technology and automotive products. However, the rate of growth was the slowest over this period. Manufacturing employment remained on an upward trend, with firms citing efforts to expand capacity and address labor shortages. The rate of job creation was the slowest seen in 2026 to date. Outstanding business increased at the most pronounced rate since June 2022. Input costs rose at the fastest rate in 19 months, with manufacturers linking the increase to the war in the Middle East. Raw materials, energy, higher labor costs and a weak yen contributed to price pressures. Selling prices rose at the second-quickest pace since June 2024. Supply chain performance deteriorated, though at a slower rate than February, with firms reporting product shortages, particularly for semiconductors. Business sentiment regarding the year-ahead outlook softened from February’s recent high. Companies expressed optimism about demand in AI, semiconductor and defense industries, but also cited caution due to the Middle East conflict. Source: Investing.com 2026-04-02 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