Japan's core consumer prices down 1.3 pct in January
Japan's core consumer prices fell 1.3 percent in January from a year earlier, marking the 11th straight month of decline, government data showed Friday.
The fall was in line with market expectations.
Core prices in Tokyo fell by 1.8 percent in February year-on-year, the statistics showed.
Finance Minister Naoto Kan put further pressure on the Bank of Japan this week, telling it to do its part to fight deflation, after the central bank kept its super-low interest rates unchanged last week.
The BoJ said in December it was a "critical challenge" for the world's number two economy to overcome deflation, which hurts companies and encourages consumers to put off purchases.
Copyright 2010 AFP Asian Edition
