Japan's core consumer prices rise 2.7 pct in August

TOKYO, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer prices in August rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier, government data showed Friday.

The pace of increase in the nationwide consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food, slowed for the third consecutive month, following a 3.1 percent gain in July, amid lower energy costs, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The key gauge of inflation stayed above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent goal but marked the slowest pace in nine months.

Core-core CPI, which strips away both volatile fresh food and fuel costs to show underlying price trends, rose 3.3 percent in August from a year earlier, compared with a 3.4 percent increase in July, the ministry said.

Food prices, excluding fresh items, climbed 8.0 percent, slowing from an 8.3 percent rise in July, while energy prices fell 3.3 percent, following a 0.3 percent decline. Enditem