Japan March core CPI rises 2.2 pct yr/yr

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TOKYO, May 1 (Reuters) - Japan's core consumer prices rose 2.2 percent in March from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday.

The core consumer price index, which includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices, was more than economists' median estimate for a 2.1 percent annual gain.

The so-called core-core inflation index, which excludes food and energy prices and is similar to the core index used in the United States, rose 2.1 percent in the year to March.

Core consumer prices in Tokyo, available a month before the nationwide data, rose 0.4 percent in April from a year earlier, versus a 0.5 percent annual rise seen by analysts in a Reuters poll. (For queries, contact Stanley White at: [email protected]; +81 3 6441 1984) (Reuters Messaging: [email protected])