The key gauge of consumer prices in Japan fell 0.1 percent in 2004, marking a fifth straight yearly decline and underscoring that the economy is still beset by deflation, the government said Friday.
The nationwide consumer price index, excluding volatile prices of perishable foods, came to 97.9 in 2004 against the 2000 base of 100, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said in a preliminary report.
The margin of decline was smaller than that for 2003, when the index dipped 0.3 percent. In 2002, the index dropped 0.9 percent, the steepest fall since comparable data became available in 1971.