Japan’s consumer inflation quickened for the fourth straight month in August. A major factor was soaring food prices.
The internal affairs ministry says the consumer price index, excluding fresh food, came in at 2.8 percent higher than the same month last year. That’s up 0.1 percentage point from July.
The headline index has now ranged between two and three percent for 12 consecutive months.
Non-fresh food items saw a 2.9 percent boost. That’s up 0.3 points from July.
Food prices are soaring in Japan, with shoppers facing rice shortages. The average wholesale price in August rose to the highest level for the month since data recording began.