Japan Aug core machinery orders fall 2.2 pct mth/mth -govt

TOKYO, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Japan's core machinery orders fell 2.2 percent in August from the previous month, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday, in a sign of fragility in capital expenditure.

The fall in core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, compared with a 5.5 percent decline forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. It followed a 4.9 percent increase in July.

Compared with a year earlier, core orders, which excludes ships and orders from the electric power utilities, increased 11.6 percent in August, versus a 6.5 percent gain expected by economists.

To view full table, go to the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.cao.go.jp/index-e.html For more background, please see this PREVIEW (Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chris Gallagher)