TOKYO — Core consumer prices in Japan rose 3.2% in March from a year earlier, as the cost of rice increased at its fastest pace in more than 50 years.
Rice prices rose 92.1% in March, versus last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The increase, the largest since comparable records began in 1971, underlines the challenges facing the government as it tries to check inflation by releasing stockpiled rice.
