TOKYO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo's consumer inflation eased in August, mainly due to the resumption of government utility subsidies, the internal affairs ministry said on Friday.
Tokyo's consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food prices, rose 2.5 percent this month from a year earlier, which retreated from the 2.9 percent seen in the prior month, preliminary figures released by the ministry showed.
Electricity prices fell 6.5 percent year-on-year, while city gas dropped 6 percent, the data showed.
The Japanese government resumed subsidies on electricity and gas bills in July as demand typically rises during the summer months.
Meanwhile, food prices, excluding fresh products, rose 7.4 percent amid rising rice prices, breaching the 7 percent threshold for the third straight month.
Rice prices advanced 67.9 percent from a year earlier in August, slowing from 81.8 percent in July but remaining high.
Consumer prices in the Japanese capital are seen as a leading indicator of the nationwide trend. ■
