The consumer price index snapped four years of declines in September, signaling progress in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign to stamp out deflation and drive a sustained economic revival.

Prices excluding energy and fresh food were unchanged from a year earlier after sliding every month since December 2008, the Statistics Bureau said Friday. That matched the median forecast of 19 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.

Advances in countering falling prices may help Abe sustain confidence in the recovery and encourage companies to raise wages as the sales tax increase planned for April threatens to deal a blow to consumption. Fiscal and monetary stimulus are underpinning a revival after 15 years of deflation.