TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan’s core consumer prices in September rose 2.4% from a year earlier, increasing at a slower pace for the first time in five months due to the resumption of government subsidies for utility bills, government data showed Friday.

The increase in the nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 2.8% rise in August. The inflation rate has remained at or above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target since April 2022.