Core private-sector machinery orders in the April-June quarter grew at their quickest pace in around five years as the yen's slide improved the profitability of exporters and encouraged companies to beef up investment, the government said Tuesday.

But the orders, which exclude those for ships as well as those from utilities because of their volatility, were down in June and are expected to dive in the July-September quarter, the Cabinet Office said, suggesting uncertainty over whether capital spending will get on a full-fledged recovery path.

The orders, regarded as a leading indicator of business investment, rose 6.8 percent on quarter to ¥2.2999 trillion in the three months through June, up at their sharpest pace since the July-September period in 2008 before Japan's economy started to wane amid the global financial crisis that year.