Japan's consumer prices rose last month for the first time in 18 months in a sign that higher energy costs are having an impact.

The Internal Affairs Ministry says the Consumer Price Index, excluding fresh food, was up 0.1 percent in September from a year ago.

It was the first increase since March 2020, during the early days of the pandemic.

The main reason was higher gasoline and kerosene costs as a result of more expensive crude oil.

The kerosene price rose 20.2 percent. That for gasoline was up 16.5 percent. Electricity bills were up 4.1 percent.

Ministry officials say rising crude oil prices could be reflected in electricity and gas bills a few months down the road. They say they are watching energy-related price trends closely.

Source: テレ東BIZ