Japan¡¯s key inflation measure weakened last month, offering support for the Bank of Japan¡¯s view that price growth is still too feeble to consider pulling back its stimulus measures.
Growth in consumer prices excluding fresh food slowed to 0.2% in January from a year earlier, compared with 0.5% the previous month, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
Economists had expected a weakening to 0.3%, as an earlier boost from higher hotel charges dropped out of the calculations, but many of them also see price growth picking up again and moving closer to the BOJ¡¯s 2% target in the coming months.
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