Tokyo consumer prices unexpectedly rose for the first time in a year, another sign of a recovering inflation pulse in Japan, though the pace of gains was far from the levels fueling fears elsewhere in the world.

Prices in the capital, excluding those for fresh food, ticked up by 0.1% in July compared with a year earlier as electricity costs stabilized and newspaper prices rose, internal affairs ministry reported Tuesday.

Economists had expected prices in the city to stay flat for a second month following 10 months of falls.