Inflation in August accelerated at its fastest pace since 2008 on higher energy costs, underscoring pressure on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to drive wage increases as he seeks to end the nation's 15-year deflationary spiral.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food gained 0.8 percent from a year earlier, the government said Friday.
The median forecast of 30 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a gain of 0.7 percent, as the yen's 20 percent slide against the dollar in the year through August drove up fuel costs.