Tokyo
Core consumer prices in Japan rose in December from a year earlier, owing to a halt in a decline in prices for crude oil amid eased concerns over global trade issues, the government said in a report. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, core consumer prices, excluding those for food because of their volatility, rose 0.7 percent in the recording period, marking the 36th successive month of increase. The latest reading comes on the heels of a 0.5 percent rise booked in November, although the latest reading still remains some way off the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) lofty and many-times-delayed 2 percent inflation target. According to the statistics bureau, gasoline prices retreated 0.1 percent from a year earlier, compared to a 6.3 percent slump in November, due to halt in falling prices for commodities, particularly crude oil, amid abating concerns over trade issues.—Xinhua
