Japan's core private-sector machinery orders, a leading indicator of corporate capital spending, fell 3.7% in January from the previous month, official data showed on Mach 10.
The drop reversed a robust 20.1% rise in December, which followed an 11.3% fall in November.
The core orders from manufacturing companies rose 3.3% month-on-month in January while those from non-manufacturers dropped 12.9%, the Cabinet Office said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010
