TOKYO, May 20 (Reuters) - Japan’s core machinery orders rose 3.7% in March from the previous month, government data showed on Thursday. The reading compared with a 6.4% rise seen in a Reuters poll of economists, the Cabinet Office data showed. Compared with a year earlier, core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, fell 2.0% in March, versus a 2.6% drop expected by economists, the data showed. To view the full table, click on the Cabinet Office website: here (Reporting by Daniel Leussink) Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.