--Japan Cabinet Office: Not optimistic on Jan-Mar machine orders
--Japan Cabinet Office: Concerned on orders by electric machine makers

By Reiko Mizutome, BridgeNews
Tokyo--Feb. 9--Japan's growing pace of private capital spending may slow in the first half of 2001, suggested by machinery orders data, an official at the Economic and Social Research Institute in the Cabinet Office said Friday. His comment reflected that key machinery orders rose only 2.6% on quarter in October-December, lower than the Institution's projection of 7.6% gain, and are expected to fall 6.4% on quarter in January-March.
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The institution Friday released data that key machinery makers saw the value of orders from the private sector, excluding orders for ships and those from the electric power industry, rise an adjusted 3.8% in December from November, and rose 2.6% on quarter in October-December.