Core private-sector machinery orders fell 6.2 percent in March, reverting to minus territory after rising in February for the first time in three months, the Cabinet Office said Monday.
The drop in orders, considered a leading indicator for corporate capital spending six to nine months ahead, follows a rise of 6.3 percent in February and a fall of 10.9 percent in January.
The orders represent an unadjusted 22 percent decline from a year earlier to 779.9 billion yen.