Japan core consumer prices in June pick up to 1.6% on year on food costs

TOKYO - Japan's core consumer prices in June rose 1.6 percent from a year earlier, picking up from the previous month, driven by food costs due to rising raw material prices, while state subsidies for energy bills limited the upside, government data showed Friday.

The increase in the nationwide consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 1.4 percent rise in May and remained below 2 percent for the fifth consecutive month, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.