TOKYO: Japan’s core consumer prices rose in December from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, nudging up from the previous month, but inflation was still well short of the central bank’s elusive 2 per cent target.
The tame data, which was also boosted by a sales tax increase last October, underscored the challenge faced by the country’s central bank, which was expected to maintain its current stimulus policy, analysts said.
The core consumer price index (CPI), which includes oil costs but excludes volatile fresh food prices, rose 0.7 per cent in December from a year earlier, the government data showed, matching a media forecast. In November, the index rose 0.5 per cent.
The data release came after the BOJ on Tuesday revised down its consumer price forecasts, despite the central bank having nudged up its economic growth projections.
The BOJ kept its policy unchanged this week and Governor Haruhiko Kuroda reiterated the central bank’s resolve to maintain its ultra-easy policy in light of soft inflation and lingering uncertainty abroad.
“Factors such as a labour shortage and a sales tax hike have helped corporations to raise prices... but we expect consumer inflation will hover sideways on sluggish wage recovery,” said Hiroaki Mutou, chief economist at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.
“The BOJ has downgraded its consumer prices inflation projections but they are still rosy numbers. We expect the central bank will keep its current pace of stimulus policy.” The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes fresh food and energy prices and is similar to the core index used in the United States, grew 0.9 per cent in December from a year earlier, the fastest pace of growth since March 2016.
The index rose 0.8 per cent in November.
A pickup in the core-core CPI, closely watched by the BOJ as a key measurement on the broad inflation trend, reflected price rises including for sweets, some prepared foods and restaurant meals, an official said. — Reuters
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