The Japan Robot Association (JARA) released statistics on the 24th (covering JARA member companies including Fanuc, KUKA, ABB, and Yaskawa Electric, excluding service robots), showing that demand for automation combined with AI-related investment drove Japan's Q2 industrial robot order value up 40.0% year-on-year to ¥312.7 billion, marking the 8th consecutive quarter of growth. This was the first time the figure surpassed ¥300 billion, setting a record high for the 3rd consecutive quarter.

Japan's total robot shipment value (domestic + exports) in Q2 rose 24.1% year-on-year to ¥257.7 billion, marking the 6th consecutive quarter of growth. The quarterly shipment value exceeded Q1 2026's (January-March) ¥251.9 billion, setting a record high for the 3rd consecutive quarter. Of this, export value surged 28.5% to ¥219.4 billion, marking the 6th consecutive quarter of growth, while domestic shipment value grew 3.7% to ¥38.3 billion, marking its first increase in 5 quarters.

By region, Japan's robot export value to Asia rose 27% year-on-year to ¥155.2 billion in Q2, marking the 8th consecutive quarter of growth. Within this, Japan's robot export value to China surged 25% to ¥89.5 billion (7th consecutive quarter of growth), while exports to markets outside China surged 30% to ¥65.7 billion (8th consecutive quarter of growth).

Japan's export value to North America surged 22% to ¥39.0 billion in Q2, marking the 6th consecutive quarter of growth and reaching its highest level in 14 quarters (since Q4 2022's ¥48.4 billion). Exports to Europe surged 63% to ¥23.5 billion, marking the 4th consecutive quarter of growth.

(News source: Money DJ, TechNews)