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Japan consumer prices see 0.2% rise in December, flat when energy prices stripped out

January 30, 2009
By Ken Worsley


According to data released today by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s “core” consumer prices rose just 0.2% in December as declining oil prices continue to add deflationary pressure. December was the fifteenth month in which core consumer prices rose.

As Japan includes energy prices as part of its core CPI, it’s always helpful to look at what the CPI looks like with energy stripped out. Here’s a breakdown of CPI categories for December:

  • December general nationwide consumer price index: +0.4% (+1.0% in November)
  • December general nationwide consumer price index (excluding rent): +0.4% (+1.2% in November)
  • December nationwide core CPI (excluding fresh food): +0.2% (+1.0% in November)
  • December nationwide consumer price index (excluding fresh food and energy): 0.0 (+0.0% in November)

These figures are a far cry from the oil-price-induced inflation that was seen over last summer. Let’s take a look at how individual categories contributed to December inflation:

  • Fuel, light and water charges +1.8% (Previous: +4.8%)
  • Food +3.6% (+3.7%)
  • Education +0.7% (+0.7%)
  • Clothes and footwear +0.5% (+0.5%)
  • Furniture and household utensils +0.2% (+0.2%)
  • Housing +0.1% (+0.2%)
  • Miscellaneous +0.0% (+0.2%)
  • Medical care -0.4% (-0.5%)
  • Reading and recreation -0.4% (-0.5%)
  • Transportation and communication -5.1% (-2.3%)

The only category to move out of positive range was “Miscellaneous,” which went from +0.2% in November to flat in December. It’s also worth noting that fuel prices have declined sharply, backing well off from the 8-9% increases seen in August, September and October. Food prices, on the other hand, have been in the 3% increase area for the past six months.

Filed Under Consumer Price Index, Economic Reports 

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One Response to “Japan consumer prices see 0.2% rise in December, flat when energy prices stripped out”

  1. US AUTO WORKERS: POOR AS JAPANESE AUTO WORKERS? « Culture of Life News on February 7th, 2009 6:57 am

    […] Japan consumer prices see 0.2% rise in December, flat when energy prices stripped out Japan Economy … According to data released today by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s “core” consumer prices rose just 0.2% in December as declining oil prices continue to add deflationary pressure. December was the fifteenth month in which core consumer prices rose…. […]

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