Consumer prices fell 0.2 percent in January from a year earlier for the third straight month of decline, due mainly to a drop in household durable goods, including air conditioners, the government said Friday.
The core consumer price index, excluding fresh foods, stood at 99.1 against the 2010 base of 100, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said.
The decline in durable goods prices continued to pressure overall prices, though energy prices including electricity and petroleum products rose 3.9 percent from a year earlier, due partly to the effects of the weakening yen, a ministry official said.