Japan July core consumer prices up 2.4%, biggest rise in 7.5 years

Core consumer prices in Japan rose 2.4 percent in July from a year earlier, marking the sharpest increase in about seven and half years amid surging material and energy prices, government data showed Friday.The nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food items, was up for the 11th consecutive month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.The rise was the sharpest since December 2014, when the index hit 2.5 percent after a consumption tax hike in April that year. Without the effect of that tax increase, July's core CPI was the highest since August 20…READ FULL ARTICLE