Tokyo Consumer Prices Up 2.4 Pct in Dec.

   Tokyo, Dec. 27 (Jiji Press)--Core consumer prices in central Tokyo rose 2.4 pct from a year before in December, lifted by higher electricity and gas bills and rising rice prices, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
   The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, in the Japanese capital's densely populated 23 special wards stood at 108.6 against 100 for the base year of 2020, rising for 40 months in a row.
   The pace of growth accelerated for the second straight month, with rice prices logging their steepest increase on record for the third successive month.
   The core CPI for 2024 grew 2.1 pct from the previous year, exceeding the Bank of Japan's 2 pct inflation target for the third straight year, although the growth slowed from 3.0 pct in 2023.
   In December, energy prices jumped 13.5 pct following a 7.4 pct increase the previous month, after the government ended its electricity and gas subsidy program. The program, however, is set to be revived for three months from January.

(2024/12/27-12:35)

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