The increase in inflation was driven mostly by food costs and the dissipating effect of past mobile phone fee cuts.
The rise in the Tokyo core consumer price index was faster than a median market forecast for a 1.8% gain and followed a 0.8% increase for March. The index excludes fresh food, which is a volatile factor, but includes energy items.In the overall reading, which includes fresh food costs, Tokyo CPI increased 2.5% in April from a year before, the fastest growth since October 2014.
To-go sushi packages, hamburgers and breads saw the biggest price hikes among food items in April, according to a government official. The so-called core-core CPI in Tokyo excluding fresh food and energy items rose 0.8% in April, posting the first increase since March 2021.