Japan May housing starts -6.5 pct year/year--govt

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TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) - Housing starts in Japan, hit hard by a regulatory change last year, fell 6.5 percent in May from a year earlier, lower than a median market forecast for a 3.8 percent drop, government data showed on Monday. JPHST=ECI

It was the 11th straight month of falls.

Orders received by major Japanese construction companies fell 25.2 percent in May from a year earlier to 782.9 billion yen ($7.37 billion). JPCORD=ECI

Japan's housing starts fell sharply in the second half of last year following the start of tighter building rules last June, hitting economic growth during the last two quarters.

To view the full tables, please go to the official Web site of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at:

here

For housing starts, click on:

here

For construction orders, click on:

here (Reporting by Yuzo Saeki; Editing by Chris Gallagher)