Japan Inflation Rate

Japan's annual inflation rate edged down to 3.5% in May 2025 from 3.6% in the previous two months, marking the lowest level since November. Price growth eased for clothing (2.6% vs 2.7% in April), household items (3.6% vs 4.1%), and healthcare (2.0% vs 2.2%), while education costs fell further (-5.6% vs -5.6%). In contrast, inflation held steady for transport (2.7%) and miscellaneous items (1.3%), but accelerated for housing (1.1% vs 1.0%), recreation (3.0% vs 2.7%), and communications (1.9% vs 1.1%). Prices of electricity (11.3% vs 13.5%) and gas (5.4% vs 4.4%) remained elevated. On the food side, prices increased by 6.5%, staying at the slowest pace in four months, though rice prices soared 1001.7%, underscoring the limited impact of government efforts to rein in staple food costs. Meanwhile, the core inflation accelerated to 3.7% from 3.5% in April, reaching its highest level in over two years, ahead of the summer election. Monthly, the CPI rose 0.3%, after a 0.1% gain in April.