TOKYO, Sept. 3 -- Japanese companies reduced capital spending across all industries in the April-June quarter by 1.7 percent from a year earlier, the Finance Ministry said in a report on Friday.+ \. r5 S9 n% F: o8 T1 I
According to the ministry, the pace of decline slowed significantly from the 11.5 percent annual slump in the previous quarter, as nonmanufacturers spent more on equipment during the recording period.; m% K& w+ S% O; P( t7 k
The data revealed that manufacturers' spending on plant and equipment dropped 10.5 percent, while spending among nonmanufacturers climbed 3.4 percent.
# G3 s5 b$ u5 ]# M# P$ q The overall decline in the April-June quarter was less than a median forecast for a 6.5 percent decrease, economists noted' X1 s# c4 K4 K1 C: u) W8 I% z B
The amount of corporate capital spending is very much industry specific, with some of the most capital intensive industries include oil, telecom and utilities.- v0 P: z4 l, }; p! _9 t. c# J' X
Capital spending in Japan has been decreasing for the last 3 years, although the pace of decline has eased over the last 3 quarters.
* f9 t5 p' \) c7 v5 M& ~ Corporate capital spending is a key gauge used by economists to calculate gross domestic product figures during the same period.
: ~& j, j6 B. \( K. o Japan's revised GDP figures will be released on Sept. 10. |