Japan February Core Inflation at 1.6%, Below 1.7% Estimate, CPI at 1.3%

In February, Japan's headline consumer price index (CPI) eased to 1.3%, its lowest since March 2022 and below the Bank of Japan's 2% target, down from 1.5% in January. The core inflation rate, excluding fresh food, fell to 1.6%, missing the forecast of 1.7%. The Bank of Japan's projections for core inflation for fiscal 2026 are 1.9% and for 'core-core' inflation 2.2%. Japan's economy grew just 0.1% year-on-year in Q4 2022, signaling a potential slowdown.