TOKYO, 23rd May, 2025 (WAM) -- Japan's core consumer prices in April climbed 3.5 percent from a year earlier, increasing at the fastest pace in more than two years, driven by reduced government utility subsidies and surging rice prices, government data showed Friday.
According to Kyodo News, the increase in the nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 3.2 percent rise in March and was the largest since January 2023, with the key gauge of inflation having remained at or above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target since April 2022.
Core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food and shows underlying price trends, was up 3.0 percent in April from the year before, growing from 2.9 percent in the previous month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
Energy prices rose 9.3 percent, accelerating from a 6.6 percent increase in March, with electricity prices surging 13.5 percent and those for city gas climbing 4.7 percent.
Prices for food, excluding fresh items, rose 7.0 percent, up from 6.2 percent in March, remaining a key contributor to overall price growth as rice prices hit a new record for the seventh consecutive month with a 98.4 percent jump amid persistent supply shortages.