For fiscal 2023 through March, core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food, increased 2.8 percent, making it the second straight year that the key gauge of inflation remained above the
Financial markets expect the
The rise in core CPI has been at or above 2 percent for 24 months.
Rising prices of everyday goods have weighed on household sentiment as wage growth has continued to lag the pace of inflation.
Prices of food other than perishables gained 4.6 percent while durable goods rose 1.9 percent, though the pace of increase has slowed from February, according to the
The effects of government subsidies aimed at curbing utility bills have started to wear off, with energy prices down 0.6 percent.
Seen as an indicator of underlying inflation, core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food, rose 2.9 percent, the pace of gain slowing for the seventh straight month.
The persistent weakness of the yen, which is at its lowest levels in over three decades against the
The
==Kyodo
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