Japan services PMI 52.5 in August, new export orders fall
Japan's services industry picked up speed in August 2026, growing at its fastest rate since March.
The services PMI rose to 52.5, showing strong local demand and steady new business orders for the 26th month in a row.
But exports didn't keep up: new export orders dropped for the fifth straight month, marking the sharpest fall since late 2020.
Japan output charges near-record, hiring slows
Even though input-cost inflation cooled off a bit, it's still higher than usual for recent years. Companies kept raising prices for customers, pushing output charges near-record highs.
On the bright side, jobs in services have been growing for a year straight (though hiring slowed down this month).
Meanwhile, Japan's overall private sector saw its strongest growth in six months as the broader Composite PMI strengthened.