Japan's Growth Masks Inflation Surge Amid Middle East Disruptions
Japan's economic activity shows mixed signals as manufacturing strength is offset by record price pressures and weakening services, complicating the Bank of Japan's policy decisions.
1 article · first seen 5/21/2026 · last update 5/1/2026
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- Forexlive5/1/2026, 12:38:11 AMJapan manufacturing PMI hits 4-year high but Middle East stockpiling masks fragile demand
Japan's April manufacturing PMI rose to 55.1 from 51.6 in March, the highest since January 2022, but the headline figure is substantially inflated by supply chain disruptions and defensive stockpiling tied to Middle East conflict concerns rather than genuine end demand. Supplier delivery times lengthened at the steepest rate in 15 years, mechanically boosting the PMI calculation, while input cost inflation hit a 3.5-year high. Business confidence in the one-year outlook fell to its second-lowest level since June 2020, signaling fragile underlying conditions despite the strong activity data.
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