Japan's Core Inflation Picks Up in March at 1.8%
Japan's core inflation edged up in March, with the core consumer price index rising 1.8%, up from 1.6% the month prior amid higher energy prices, data from the country's Statistics Bureau showed on Friday.The reading, which doesn't count prices of fresh food items, remains below the Bank of Japan's 2% target for the second consecutive month.Excluding both energy and fresh food items, Japan's inflation slipped to 2.4% in March from 2.5% the previous month.The headline consumer price index, which includes all items, gained 1.5% during the month under review compared with 1.3% in February.The increase in food prices, excluding fresh food prices, eased to 5.2% in March, from 5.7% the month before.Energy prices contracted 5.7% during the month compared with the 9.1% contraction in the month prior.