TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s business-to-business service prices rose 2.1% year-on-year in January, slowing from a 2.4% annual gain in December, central bank data showed on Monday.
The Bank of Japan is closely watching service price movements to see whether inflationary pressure is broadening in the economy to warrant phasing out its massive stimulus.
(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Tom Hogue)