Japanese manufacturing activity expanded in December at the same pace as the previous month as new orders grew at a faster rate in a sign the economy maintained momentum at the end of 2015, a revised survey showed on Monday. The Markit/Nikkei Final Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was a seasonally adjusted 52.6 in December versus a flash reading of 52.5 and unchanged from a final 52.6 in November – the highest reading since March 2014. The final index for new orders was 54.2, up from a preliminary 54.1 and a final 53.6 in the previous month.