Japan's underlying inflation rate held steady at 1.0 percent in October, government data showed Thursday, though a recent fall in global oil prices could weaken momentum.
The year-on-year increase in core consumer prices, which exclude fresh food prices because of their volatility, was unchanged from September and remained below the Bank of Japan's long-sought 2 percent inflation target.
Energy items such as gasoline and kerosene were the largest contributors to the gains, lifted by an earlier rise in the global market for crude oil, according to the data released by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry.