Japan: Core inflation ticks up in January
The core consumer price index increased 0.1% in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted terms in January, matching December’s result. The increase in December was mainly due to higher prices for transportation and communication, and food.
Core inflation accelerated to 0.8% in January from 0.7% in December, as expected by market analysts but still well below the Bank of Japan’s inflation target of 2.0%. Meanwhile, overall inflation slowed to 0.7% in January from 0.8% in December.