TOKYO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer prices in September rose 2.9 percent from a year earlier, driven by higher food and energy prices, government data showed Friday.
The pace of increase in the nationwide consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food, accelerated for the first time in four months, following a 2.7 percent gain in August, amid lower energy costs, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The inflation rate, a key indicator for the Bank of Japan in determining the timing of rate hikes, has remained at or above the central bank's 2 percent target since April 2022.
Core-core CPI, which strips away both volatile fresh food and fuel costs to show underlying price trends, rose 3.0 percent in September from a year earlier.
Food prices, excluding fresh items, climbed 7.6 percent, slowing from an 8.0 percent rise in August, with rice prices rising 49.2 percent.
Among other major components, energy prices rose 2.3 percent, following a 3.3 percent decline in August, as the impact of last year's government subsidies for electricity and gas bills was greater than this year. ■
