TOKYO, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core machinery orders in January declined 1.7 percent from the previous month, falling for the first time in two months, government data showed on Monday.
Private-sector orders, excluding those for ships and power equipment, closely watched as a leading indicator of corporate capital spending, came in at 823.8 billion yen (5.5 billion U.S. dollars), according to data released by the Cabinet Office.
By sector, orders from manufacturers dropped 13.2 percent to 362.3 billion yen, dragged by chemicals industries and motor vehicles, while service-sector orders rose 6.5 percent, the data showed.
The Cabinet Office lowered its basic assessment of machinery orders for the first time since November 2022, changing to "showing some weakness" from "stalling." (1 Japanese yen equals 0.0067 U.S. dollar) ■
