The value of machine tool orders received by Japanese manufacturers totaled 721.35 billion Japanese yen (US$6.32 billion/4.93 billion euros) for the first half of 2006, up 7.2% year-on-year, the Japan Machine Tool Builders Association reported on July 10, 2006.

Out of the total, domestic orders for machine tools increased 0.6% year-on-year to 376.35 billion yen (US$3.3 billion/2.5 billion euros) for the six-month period. Overseas orders rose 15.5% year-on-year to 345 billion yen (US$3.0 billion/2.36 billion euros) for the first half of 2006.

In July 2006 alone, machine tool orders totaled 127.66 billion yen (US$1.12 billion/873.8 million euros), up 3.0% month-on-month and 4.4% year-on-year. Domestic orders for the month increased 5.8% month-on-month and 3.9% year-on-year to 65.02 billion yen (US$570.1 million/445 million euros). Overseas orders increased 0.3% month-on-month and 19.2% year-on-year to 62.64 billion yen (US$549.2 million/428.8 million euros).

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