Japan inflation slows, pressure for additional stimulus grows

As Japan's inflation rate struggles to hit its 2% target, the Bank of Japan led by Governor Haruhiko Kuroda is facing pressure to deploy more stimulus - EPA Photo.

TOKYO: Japan's annual core consumer inflation eased in August in another sign that the Bank of Japan could be forced into additional easing steps to meet its 2% price goal sometime next fiscal year.

Core consumer prices, which include oil products but exclude fresh food, rose 3.1% in August from a year earlier, less than the median estimate for a 3.2% annual gain and following a 3.3% annual rise in July.