Consumer prices in Tokyo's 23 wards were unchanged in August from a year earlier and the previous month as lower fresh vegetable prices offset higher prices of seafood and medical care, the government said Friday.
The changes are measured on the basis of the consumer price index, which came to 101.4 for August against the base of 100 for 1995, the Management and Coordination Agency said in a preliminary report. "There has been no change in the basic trend of stable prices," Izumi Nakato, director of the Economic Planning Agency's Price Research Division, said in commenting on the latest Tokyo CPI, an early indicator of price trends across the country.
Compared with year-earlier levels, among items showing substantial price falls were fresh vegetables, down 7.1 percent, power rates, down 4.8 percent, and entertainment and amusement charges, down 1.4 percent. Those showing notable price rises from a year before include medical care, up 22.9 percent, clothing, up 4.9 percent, and tuition fees, up 2.2 percent.
Compared with July, prices of fresh vegetables fell 5.5 percent and clothing 2.7 percent. These price gains were offset by higher prices of seafood and restaurant services, which posted rises of 5.3 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. Excluding the volatile prices of perishables, Tokyo's consumer prices edged up 0.1 percent from a year earlier, but were unchanged from July.