TOKYO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo's core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food, rose 2.5 percent in September from a year earlier, data from the Internal Affairs Ministry showed Friday.
The index stood at 110.0 against the 2020 base of 100, marking the same growth rate as in August, according to the data.
Food prices continued to climb, with processed food excluding fresh items up 6.9 percent, led by sharp increases in rice (46.8 percent), chocolate (53.8 percent), and coffee beans (47.8 percent).
Offsetting some of the rise, nursery school fees fell 60.4 percent after Tokyo expanded its childcare fee waiver program on Sept. 1.
Tokyo's CPI is seen as a leading indicator of nationwide price trends, with the national figure for September due on Oct. 24. ■
