TOKYO, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer prices in February increased 1.6 percent from a year earlier, marking the first time the figure has dropped below 2 percent since March 2022, government data showed Tuesday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2 percent gain in January, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Energy costs fell 9.1 percent after dropping 5.2 percent in January, brought down by a 14.9 percent plunge in gasoline prices and an 8 percent decline in electricity bills.
Food prices, excluding fresh items, climbed 5.7 percent in February, easing from a 6.2 percent increase in the previous month.
Meanwhile, amid soaring crude oil prices following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February, the pace of price increases is expected to accelerate in the coming months. ■
