The country's underlying inflation rate edged up in June amid rising energy costs, government data showed Friday, though it continued to fall short of the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target.

The nationwide core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, rose 0.8 percent in June from a year earlier, picking up from a 0.7 percent rise in May to match market forecasts.

The index rose for the 18th consecutive month, up to 101 against the 2015 base of 100, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.