Japan’s producer prices rose in August, but the pace of the increase slowed for the first time in 8 months. One reason was China’s sluggish economy, which pressured prices of copper and scrap metals.
The Bank of Japan said the preliminary Producer Price Index was up 2.5 percent from a year earlier, a smaller rise than July’s 3.0 percent increase.
The index measures the prices companies charge each other for goods and services.
BOJ figures also show August import prices rose 2.6 percent in yen terms from a year earlier. That was a much slower pace than the 10.8 percent rise marked in July, due to the yen strengthening.
The bank says businesses have been passing on higher material costs in their sales prices. Economists say this raises questions about the possible impact on consumer prices in the months ahead.