Friday, February 20, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Consumer inflation, excluding volatile fresh food prices, climbed 2.0% in January from a year earlier, compared with December’s 2.4% rise.
Inflation in Japan’s capital cooled below the central bank’s 2% target for the first time in over a year, but the slowdown is unlikely to derail further interest rate hikes.
While the reading was cooler than expected, consumers still saw higher costs for computers, appliances and hospital care.
Bank of Japan policy board member Naoki Tamura floated the possibility that the bank could soon declare that its price target has been achieved, as the nation’s inflation is becoming stickier.
The reading increases the chances of a rate cut by the Bank of England when policymakers next meet in March.
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