India, June 20 -- Japan's core inflation accelerated more than expected to a more than two-year high in May but headline inflation softened slightly, official data showed Friday.
Core inflation that excludes prices of fresh food rose to 3.7 percent from 3.5 percent in April, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported. This was the fastest since January 2023. Inflation was seen at 3.6 percent.
Similarly, inflation excluding fresh food and energy, accelerated to 3.3 percent from 3.0 percent in the previous month. Meanwhile, headline inflation softened to 3.5 percent in May from 3.6 percent in April.
Food prices increased 6.5 percent annually due to the 101.7 percent surge in rice prices.
Earlier this week, the Bank of Ja...