TOKYO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer prices increased 1.4 percent in May from a year earlier, remaining below 2 percent for the fourth consecutive month, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the nationwide consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, followed a 1.4 percent gain in April, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food to reflect underlying price trends, rose 1.8 percent in May.
Energy costs fell 2.5 percent on year, after a 3.9 percent drop in April, with gasoline prices plunging 7.0 percent and electricity bills declining 2.4 percent.
Prices for food, excluding fresh items, were up 3.5 percent in the reporting month, slowing from a 4.1 percent rise in April. ■
