TOKYO - Japan's core consumer prices in May rose 1.4 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Friday, with subsidies for gasoline prices capping the upside.
The increase in the nationwide consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 1.4 percent rise in April and remained below 2 percent for the fourth consecutive month, 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, following a 3.9 percent drop in April, as gasoline prices sank 7.0 percent and electricity bills declined 2.4 percent.
Prices for food, excluding fresh items, climbed 3.5 percent in the reporting month, decelerating from a 4.1 percent increase in the previous month.
