TOKYO, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer price index (CPI) in June rose 3.3 percent from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday.
The rise in the nationwide CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food costs, slowed for the first time in four months following a 3.7 percent increase in May, due largely to the resumption of gasoline subsidies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
The key gauge of inflation has now remained at or above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target for the 39th straight month since April 2022.
Core-core CPI, which strips away both fresh food and fuel costs to show underlying price trends, gained 3.4 percent in June from a year earlier after increasing 3.3 percent in May, the ministry said.
Prices of food, excluding fresh items, climbed 8.2 percent in June, accelerating from the previous month's 7.7 percent gain, while prices for energy rose 2.9 percent, slowing from 8.1 percent in May. ■
