Capital investment dropped 3 percent in the January-March period from a year earlier, down for the sixth consecutive quarter, according to a Finance Ministry survey released Thursday.

The fall was steeper than the 1.8 percent decline seen in the October-December quarter, although it was better than the double-digit falls that had continued for a year before that.

Combined sales of companies capitalized at 10 million yen or more, excluding financial institutions, also fell but less than in the previous four quarters, the quarterly survey said.