The Japanese government kept its economic assessment unchanged in its monthly report for January, citing continued strength in private consumption and capital expenditure. "The economy is recovering at a moderate pace," the Cabinet Office said in the report it issued Thursday, using the same wording for the sixth straight month. Private consumption, which makes up around 55% of gross domestic product in Japan, is "increasing moderately," the report said, sticking to the previous month's view. Exceptionally cold weather boosted spending on winter clothing and air conditioners, while consumers also paid more for travel and at restaurants, said a Cabinet Office official briefing reporters on the report. "Household income and consumer sentiment are improving, keeping consumption firm," the official said. "But spending may also have been boosted by special factors like cold weather," he said. That is why the government decided not to revise up its view on consumption in January, he added. Data issued last Friday showed department store sales in Tokyo, a leading indicator for nationwide sales figures, rose 2.1% in December from a year earlier, marking the second straight month of increase. The government also kept its upbeat view on the corporate sector, saying that companies' profits are "improving" and business investment is "increasing." Japan's core machinery orders, considered a leading indicator of capital spending, rose 2.3% in November from October for the second straight month of increase, government data showed Friday. The Cabinet Office official said the sharp stock price falls of the last few days didn't affect the government's economic assessment. "Stock prices tend to fluctuate...but we only look at the real state of the economy" in making assessments, the official said. "We don't change our economic view just because stock prices move sharply," he said.