Japan's private-sector core machinery orders gained 1.4 percent in March from the previous month, up for the second consecutive month, helped by solid demand in the manufacturing sector that offset weakness in the nonmanufacturing sector, government data showed Wednesday.
The orders, excluding those for ships and from utilities because of volatility, totaled ¥862.3 billion ($7.60 billion). The figure is widely viewed as an indicator of capital spending by companies.
The Cabinet Office maintained its basic assessment that the recovery in machinery orders has slowed. In February, the core machinery orders were up 1.5 percent.