Core inflation in Tokyo slowed in August for the second straight month but remained well above the central bank's 2% target, data showed on Friday, keeping policymakers under pressure to phase out decades of massive monetary stimulus.
The data for Tokyo, which is seen as a leading indicator of nationwide trends, adds to recent signs of broadening inflationary pressure in the world's third-largest economy.
The Tokyo core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes fuel costs, rose 2.8% in August from a year earlier, compared with a median market forecast for a 2.9% gain.