TOKYO -- Japan's core inflation rate rose for the first time in three months in May due to higher electricity costs, staying above the central bank's 2% target, government data released on Friday shows.
The core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, rose 2.5% from a year earlier, after rising 2.2% in April. The latest figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications are slightly lower than the median forecast of 2.6% among economists surveyed by QUICK.
