Japan's wholesale inflation moderated in May, but yen-based import prices surged at a record annual pace, data showed on Friday, a sign the currency's sharp decline was adding to strain for the economy heavily reliant on commodity imports.
The data casts doubt on the central bank's argument that households' rising living costs are due largely to global commodity inflation, and has little do to with a weak yen.
The corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the price of goods companies charge each other, rose 9.1% in May from a year earlier, Bank of Japan (BOJ) data showed, smaller than a median market forecast for a 9.8% gain.