Japanese inflation hit 41-year high in 2023

TOKYO -- Japan's core consumer price index climbed 3.1% last year to mark its biggest gain since 1982, official data showed on Friday, driven up by rising food costs and as a weaker yen made imports more expensive.

For the month of December, the core index, which excludes fresh food, increased 2.3% from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in November and surpassing the Bank of Japan's inflation target of 2% for the 21st straight month.