- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
Japan inflation slows to 3.1% in February
Japan's consumer prices rose 3.1 percent in February from a year earlier, slowing from the four-decade highs seen in previous months, government data showed Friday.
The figure, which excludes volatile fresh food, met market expectations and comes after the government introduced relief measures for soaring energy bills.
It is the first deceleration in over a year, marking a fall from January, when prices jumped 4.2 percent on-year -- the highest level since September 1981, fuelled in part by higher energy bills.
UBS economist Masamichi Adachi had said ahead of the data release that he expected lower inflation in February "due to a discount on energy price with the government's subsidies", which were announced in October and came into effect this year.
The drop is also due in part to the comparison with data from February 2022, when prices began to rise in Japan following decades of sluggish inflation or deflation.
The 3.1 percent rise is above the Bank of Japan's longstanding two-percent target, which has been surpassed every month since April last year.
But it remains lower than the sky-high inflation seen in the United States and elsewhere, with central banks worldwide hiking interest rates to tackle rising prices.
When both fresh food and energy prices are excluded, Japan's figure for February is 3.5 percent.
The BoJ views the price increases as the result of temporary factors, including the war in Ukraine, so sees no reason to tweak its monetary easing measures.
Outgoing governor Haruhiko Kuroda left these measures unchanged in his final policy meeting this month before stepping down after a decade at the helm.
Despite pressure to hike interest rates, the BoJ has said it first wants to see evidence of more sustained, demand-driven price rises, supported by salary increases.
Wages have long been stagnant in Japan, although major companies have this year announced substantial salary increases for staff.
Kuroda will be replaced by economics professor Kazuo Ueda next month, but analysts say the new chief faces a tough job navigating a way forward for the bank, whose easy-money policies are viewed as unsustainable in the long term.
M.García--CPN