Japan's core inflation drops below 2% for 1st time since 2022
Business
Japan's core inflation rate just slipped below the central bank's 2% goal for the first time since 2022.
Cheaper energy and government subsidies helped keep prices in check.
Consumer prices (minus fresh food) rose only 1.6% in February, which is less than last month and what experts predicted.
Overall inflation dropped to 1.3%
Overall inflation dropped to 1.3%, mostly because energy bills got lighter.
But not everything is cheaper: food prices (excluding fresh stuff) are still up 5.7%, and rice alone jumped a whopping 17.1%.
Even with lower inflation, high gasoline costs mean many people in Japan are still feeling the squeeze, and with so much of their energy coming from abroad, global tensions could shake things up again.