Japan's printed circuit board (PCB) production value saw its first growth in 21 months in July 2024, reaching its highest level in 18 months, driven by a double-digit increase in flexible PCB production.

According to data released by the Japan Electronics Packaging Circuits Association (JPCA) on September 18, Japan’s total PCB production volume, which includes rigid PCBs, flexible PCBs, and module substrates, decreased by 2.6% year-on-year in July to 797,000 square meters, marking the 30th consecutive month of contraction. However, the production value rose by 3.7% to JPY 51.608 billion, the first increase since December 2022 when the production value was JPY 54.215 billion.

In terms of specific PCB types:

● Rigid PCBs: Production volume declined by 6.2% year-on-year to 608,000 square meters, marking 29 straight months of contraction. The production value also dropped by 1.8% to JPY 30.264 billion, shrinking for the second consecutive month.

● Flexible PCBs: Production volume grew by 12.3% to 136,000 square meters, the first increase in three months. The production value surged by 13.8% to JPY 2.727 billion, marking growth in six out of the last seven months.

● Module Substrates: Production volume increased by 8.6% to 54,000 square meters, growing for the 10th consecutive month. The production value rose by 12.5% to JPY 18.617 billion, the first increase in 16 months.

For the period from January to July 2024, Japan's total PCB production volume fell by 9.8% year-on-year to 5.2 million square meters, while production value decreased by 7.3% to JPY 316.225 billion.

● Rigid PCB production dropped 13.3% in volume to 4.065 million square meters, while the value declined by 4.8% to JPY 198.273 billion.

● Flexible PCB production grew by 2.6% to 800,000 square meters, with a value increase of 7.3% to JPY 16.852 billion.

● Module Substrates saw a production volume increase of 12% to 335,000 square meters, although the production value decreased by 13.8% to JPY 101.1 billion.

Japan's leading PCB suppliers include Ibiden, CMK, Nippon Mektron (a subsidiary of NOK), Fujikura, and Meiko Electronics.