Japan's finance ministry says capital investment by companies outside the financial and insurance sectors grew 4.5 percent in the April-June period, year-on-year, rising for the ninth straight quarter.
The total came to just over 11 trillion yen, or about 76 billion dollars. The quarterly survey is based on responses from more than 20,000 companies with equity capital of at least 10 million yen, or around 69,000 dollars.
The increase was due to both manufacturers and non-manufacturers.
Investments by manufacturers were up 4.9 percent, as metal producers and commercial machinery companies boosted production capacity.
Non-manufacturers also increased investments by 4.4 percent, led by construction of logistics facilities and retail outlets.
Ministry officials say the latest figures appear to indicate the economy is moving toward recovery.