Japanese machinery orders, a key gauge of capital spending, rose in February from the previous month, a sign that strong investment by companies is likely to keep underpinning a steady recovery. Core private-sector machinery orders rose 3.4 percent in February from the previous month on a seasonally adjusted basis, the government said on Monday, a touch higher than economists' forecasts of a 3.3 percent increase. "The rise is pretty widespread, which is a good sign and suggests capital spending will likely stay in an uptrend for quite a long time ahead," said Takehiro Sato, executive director at Morgan Stanley. In January, core orders -- a volatile series regarded as a leading indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months -- fell 6.2 percent, the first fall in four months. The Cabinet Office, which releases the data, has forecast that core orders would likely show a rise of 1.3 percent for January-March from the previous quarter. A government official said the target would be achieved if March orders rise 1.1 percent or more. The official also said the government maintained its view that machinery orders are on a rising trend. Reflecting strong appetite for capital spending by Japanese companies, orders had already been rising for five straight quarters up till the final three months of 2005. Compared with February last year, core orders, which exclude those for ships and for machinery at electric power firms, rose 8.2 percent, slightly above a median forecast of a 7.9 percent rise in a Reuters poll.