TOKYO: Consumer prices rose slightly in Japan in May for the first time in 14 months, data showed today, but analysts said they were unlikely to soar above pre-pandemic levels.
Japan has long battled to hit a 2% inflation target seen as key to turbocharging the world’s third-largest economy.
A barrage of stimulus and monetary easing packages has seen the rate remain stubbornly low.
The May increase was still modest, with core consumer prices excluding volatile fresh food costs up 0.1% from a year earlier.
The rise was largely the result of a rebound in energy prices, after oil prices dipped last spring with knock-on effects for other energy…
