April wholesale prices up 5.8%, import prices mark 1st fall in 2 yrs

Wholesale prices in Japan rose 5.8 percent in April from a year ago on higher energy and food prices but the pace of the increase continued to slow, with import costs falling for the first time in over two years, the Bank of Japan said Monday.

The increase in the corporate goods price index, which measures the prices of goods traded between companies, was the smallest since August 2021. It marked the 26th straight month of year-on-year growth, boosting the likelihood that consumer prices, which track producer prices with a lag, will remain elevated.

Government efforts to bring down fuel costs ...