TOKYO—Japan’s core consumer inflation hit a fresh 41-year high in January as companies passed on higher costs to households, data showed on Friday, keeping the central bank under pressure to phase out its massive stimulus program.
The data underscores the dilemma policymakers face as soaring prices of fuel and daily necessities hit households, many of whom have yet to see wages rise enough to make up for the higher cost of living.
The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes energy costs, was 4.2 percent higher in January than a year earlier, matching a median market forecast and accelerating from a 4.0 percent annual gain in December….
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