The Bank of Japan's key index for prices paid by corporations for services that include advertising, transport and office rent rose 0.1 percent in October from a year earlier, marking the first gain in six years and seven months, the central bank announced Thursday.
The corporate service price index registered 93.8 in October against the base of 100 for 1995, the BOJ said.
The index gained for the first time since March 1998, when it rose 1.1 percent from a year earlier due to the April 1997 consumption tax hike to 5 percent from 3 percent.
Backed by brisk activity in the manufacturing sector, prices of transactions at nonmanufacturing firms, including transport and machinery repair companies, went up in October, according to BOJ officials.
By sector, the index for transport companies rose 2.5 percent from a year earlier, supported by a 24.0 percent jump in ocean freight prices on the back of globally active shipments.
The gauge for the advertising sector grew 1.5 percent, following a 1.8 percent rise in September.