Japan inflation to slow slightly, but cost-push pressures drag on consumption: Reuters poll

Japan's annual core consumer price growth is expected to have slowed slightly, a Reuters poll showed, but persistent cost-push pressures kept inflation at or above the central bank's 2% target for two years and remained a drag on household consumption. The core consumer prices index (CPI), which excludes fresh foods but includes oil products, is expected to rise 2.6% year-on-year in March, after a 2.8% gain in the previous month, according to the forecast of 18 economists. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will release the data on April 19.