Consumer inflation in Japan's capital accelerated in April to its fastest pace in two years, driven by food price hikes and fading government energy subsidies, adding pressure on the Bank of Japan as it prepares for a policy meeting next week.
The headline Tokyo Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 3.5% year-on-year in April, up from 2.9% in March, data from the Statistics Bureau showed on Friday.
A narrower core index excluding fresh food climbed 3.4%, outpacing the median forecast of 3.2% and marking a sharp rise from 2.4% in the previous month.
A further gauge that strips out both fresh food and energy - closely watched by the BOJ as a reflection of underlying trends - rose 2.0%, doubling from March's 1.1% increase.
The data comes as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled that rate hikes remain on the table if inflation continues to align with the central bank's 2% target.
But Ueda warned that rising US tariffs and global trade tensions could complicate the outlook, saying the BOJ would weigh such risks carefully before adjusting policy further.
The BOJ is widely expected to hold rates steady at 0.5% next week while downgrading its economic growth forecast. Still, the Tokyo inflation reading may fuel debate among policymakers over the timing of future tightening.
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