Inflation hit for the first time in 28 months in April as higher energy and food prices and temporary shortages after the March 11 temblor hiked costs.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food increased 0.6 percent from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said Friday, matching the median forecast of 25 economists in a survey.
A 50 percent surge in crude oil prices in the past year has fanned inflation globally, prompting countries from Thailand to China to raise borrowing costs. In contrast, the Bank of Japan will likely add stimulus in spite of nascent price gains, to support an economy that fell into a recession after the March quake and tsunami.