Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's optimism that he can meet the 2 percent inflation target is getting a reality check at the nation's cash registers.
Analysis of scanner data for about 350,000 products at 300 supermarkets across Japan shows costs are falling, says Tsutomu Watanabe, an economics professor at the University of Tokyo.
Government data released Friday, meanwhile, showed that gains in consumer prices excluding fresh food slowed for a seventh month in February to a one-year low.
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