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Tokyo - Japan's core machinery orders jumped 8.3% in December from the previous month for the second straight month of increase, the government said Thursday.
The figure was much better than the 2.4% rise expected by analysts surveyed by the Nikkei business daily, and followed a 1.3% monthly increase in November.
Core private-sector machinery orders, which exclude volatile categories such as ships and utilities, rose to ¥853.6bn, the Cabinet Office said.
The office upgraded its basic assessment, saying a "gradual pickup" was apparent.
In the January-to-March period, machinery orders were expected to grow 1.5% from the previous quarter, the office said.
The statistic is viewed as an indicator of future corporate capital spending.
Overseas demand, an indicator of future exports, fell 6.9% month-on-month to ¥856.2bn in December for the fourth consecutive month of fall despite a weaker yen.
