TOKYO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The consumer price index (CPI) for Tokyo's 23 wards, excluding fresh food, rose 2.5 percent in January from a year earlier, marking the third consecutive month of accelerating inflation, official data showed Friday.
The rise was mainly driven by rising energy costs following the end of government subsidies for electricity and gas, as well as food price increases, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The preliminary CPI for Tokyo's 23 wards is considered a leading indicator for nationwide inflation trends.
Including fresh food, the overall CPI rose by 3.4 percent. Among individual categories, fresh food prices surged 23.8 percent, making the largest contribution to the increase. Due to record-breaking heat, cabbage prices tripled compared to the previous year, while fresh fruit, including mandarins, rose 24.4 percent.
The utilities sector saw an 11.1-percent increase, with electricity prices rising 17.5 percent and city gas prices up 10.5 percent, largely due to the expiration of temporary government subsidies that were reintroduced from August to October 2024 as emergency support during the extreme summer heat.
Excluding fresh food, food prices climbed 4.7 percent. Rice prices soared 70.7 percent, marking the highest increase since comparable records began in January 1971. ■