Customers are seen in a cafe in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2026. Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday. The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
TOKYO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) — Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The deceleration was largely due to the effect of fuel subsidies, the abolition of a provisional gasoline tax and the base effect of last year’s surge in food prices, the data showed.
Core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food to reflect underlying price trends, increased 2.6 percent year-on-year in January.
Food prices, excluding fresh items, rose 6.2 percent in January, slowing from a 6.7 percent growth in the previous month, while energy costs fell 5.2 percent after a drop of 3.1 percent in December. ■
Customers dine at a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2026. Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
A resident checks food prices outside a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2026. Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
A pedestrian walks past a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2026. Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
A man buys meal vouchers in front of a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2026. Japan’s core consumer prices in January increased 2.0 percent from a year earlier, marking a two-year low and matching the central bank’s inflation target, government data showed Friday.
The increase in the core consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food costs, slowed from a 2.4 percent gain in December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
