Core machinery orders edged up 1.3 percent from a month earlier to ¥788.0 billion in November, the government said Thursday, a weak figure that suggests companies are reluctant to boost investment as the yen sinks and import costs rise, and one that caused it to downgrade its outlook.

Private-sector orders, excluding those for ships and from utilities because of their volatility, rose after a seasonally adjusted 6.4 percent fall in October and a 2.9 percent gain in September, the Cabinet Office said.

But the government downgraded its basic assessment of core machinery orders for the first time in five months, saying they are at a "standstill in their pickup trend." Last month it said they were showing "signs of a gradual pickup."