It was the 14th consecutive year-on-year rise, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) said in a report, although orders fell 13.8 percent compared with the previous month, the first decline in three months.
Reflecting robust capital spending by global chip manufacturers, orders had climbed to 164.53 billion yen in June, the highest since December 2000.
"Orders dropped off on a month-on-month basis, but we expect this high level of orders to continue for some time," said an official at SEAJ. "Factory utilisation rates are very high and demand in all regions (of the world) is still strong."
The SEAJ official said that orders for Japanese chip equipment were particularly robust out of Taiwan and South Korea and that demand was picking up considerably in North America.
Underscoring robust industry conditions, data last week showed the world's chip factories operated at their fastest rate in almost four years in April-June, boosted by demand for chips for cellphones and digital appliances such as flat-panel TVs.
The Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) group said the utilisation rate was 95.4 percent in the period, rising from the previous three months for the sixth straight quarter.