Tokyo core CPI marks first annual rise in a year

Index up: People walk through a local shopping street in Tokyo. The core CPI for Japan’s capital, which includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices, rose 0.1% in July from a year earlier. — Reuters

TOKYO: Core consumer prices in Tokyo marked their first annual increase in a year in July, data showed yesterday, heightening the chance nationwide inflation will perk up in coming months on rising energy costs and a rebound in domestic demand.

The core consumer price index (CPI) for Japan’s capital, which includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices, rose 0.1% in July from a year earlier, compared with a median market forecast for flat growth, government data showed.