Japan’s key inflation gauge slowed in September for the first time in five months, ahead of a central bank meeting later this month where the board is widely expected to keep the interest rate unchanged.
Consumer prices, excluding fresh food, rose 2.4% from a year earlier, decelerating from 2.8% in August as government utility subsidies softened the impact of ongoing inflation, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
The result came in slightly stronger than the consensus estimate of 2.3%.
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