April's consumer prices up 0.3 pct on year in Japan

Consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in April in Japan from a year earlier, marking the 23rd straight month of increase, said the Japanese Internal Affairs Ministry on Friday.

The ministry said that the core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, stood at 103.3 against the 2010 base of 100.

The Japanese central bank aims to achieve a 2-percent inflation goal without impacts brought by sales tax hike last year, but it recently decided to delay achieving the goal to fiscal 2016 due to plunge in crude oil price and shrinking domestic consumption. Endi