Tokyo inflation cools for second month

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of nationwide trends, rose 3.2% in March from a year earlier, compared with a median market forecast for a 3.1% gain. — Bloomberg

TOKYO: Core consumer inflation in Japan’s capital Tokyo slowed in March for a second month but remained well above the central bank’s 2% target, data show, highlighting broadening price pressures in the world’s third-largest economy.

A separate index stripping away energy prices rose at the fastest year-on-year pace since 1990, a sign the effect of government subsidies to curb utility bills did little to stem the rising cost of living for households.