Tokyo Core Consumer Prices Up 2.8 Pct in Oct.

Tokyo, Oct. 31 (Jiji Press)–The core consumer price index for Tokyo’s 23 wards rose 2.8 pct in October from a year before, up for the 50th consecutive month, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday. The index excluding volatile perishables stood at 111.0 against the 2020 base of 100. October’s core CPI rise can chiefly be attributed to the end of the Tokyo metropolitan government’s program charging no basic water fees, with the water bill rising back to the year-before level after plunging 34.6 pct in September, the ministry suggested. Energy prices climbed 2.2 pct, reflecting increases in electricity and city gas fees by 3.2 pct and 1.1 pct, respectively, caused by cuts in state subsidies. Prices of food products other than fresh items went up 6.7 pct. Rice showed a slower price increase for the six straight month although still posting a 40.0 pct inflation rate in the reporting month. “Onigiri” rice ball prices rose by 17.8 pct and restaurant sushi prices by 14.5 pct. The overall CPI including fresh food items expanded 2.8 pct, and so did the “core-core” CPI excluding not only perishables but energy, the ministry said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]