Japan's core inflation slows to 2.2% in April on food, services

Japan's core consumer prices rose 2.2 percent in April from a year earlier, but the pace of increase slowed for the second straight month as price pressure on food and services eased, government data showed Friday.The increase in the nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 2.6 percent gain in March, and it remained at or above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target for the 25th straight month.Core-core CPI, which is seen as a better reflection of underlying price trends as volatile energy and fresh food prices are excluded, rose 2.4 percent, the slowest…READ FULL ARTICLE