The key gauge of consumer prices in Tokyo dropped 0.2 percent in 2004 from the previous year for the sixth straight year of decline, due mainly to falls in prices of personal computers and durable home appliances, the government said Tuesday.
The consumer price index for Tokyo's 23 wards, excluding perishable food prices, registered 97.3 against the base of 100 for 2000, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.
The margin of decline narrowed, compared with a 0.4 percent fall in 2003 and 0.9 percent slide in 2002, but the continued decline indicates the nation is still influenced by deflation.
Consumer prices in Tokyo are regarded as a leading indicator for prices nationwide.
The ministry said prices of laptop computers plunged 29.2 percent in 2004 from the previous year, while prices of desktop computers declined 27.5 percent. Other appliances, such as cameras, including digital cameras, dropped 22.3 percent, and refrigerators fell 19.1 percent.
Spending down 0.7%
Spending by wage-earning households fell a real 0.7 percent in November from a year earlier for the first drop in three months, with spending on food down because of high vegetable prices, the government said Tuesday.
The average monthly spending by salaried workers' households declined to 307,563 yen, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Their average monthly income came to 442,086 yen, up 0.5 percent in real terms, following a 0.5 percent drop in October. Disposable income grew a real 0.2 percent to 374,804 yen.