The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo fell 0.9 percent in 2002, down for a record fourth straight year and indicating the increasing deflationary pressure across the country, according to a government report released Friday.
The consumer price index for Tokyo's 23 wards, excluding prices of perishable foods, declined to 97.7 against the base of 100 for 2000, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said in a preliminary report.
Including perishables, the index dropped 0.7 percent to 97.8 in fiscal 2002, which ends Monday. Excluding perishable foods, it fell 1.1 percent in fiscal 2001.