Japan's core machinery orders decline 1.7% in January, raising concerns about future investment.

Japan's core machinery orders fell 1.7% in January, a steeper decline than expected. This follows a 1.9% gain in December and raises concerns about a potential slowdown in future capital investment. The decline in orders is mainly due to a struggling manufacturing sector and has led the government to downgrade its view on the indicator for the first time since November 2022.