Japan's core machinery orders fell more than expected in January on the back of a weak manufacturing sector, data showed Monday, prompting the government to downgrade its view on the indicator for the first time in more than a year.
Recent data has highlighted concerns about the sluggish recovery in the world's fourth-biggest economy.
It comes as the Bank of Japan kicks off its two-day monetary policy meeting, although core machinery orders data is unlikely to have a significant bearing on the central bank's decision, according to an economist.