TOKYO -- Japan's consumer prices fell overall in August on cheap oil -- the first decline since the country's current round of monetary easing began in April 2013. But rising food costs held larger sway over consumers' economic outlooks.
The consumer price index excluding fresh food slipped 0.1% on the year in August to 103.4, data released Friday shows. The price of gasoline tumbled 17.8%, while electricity prices fell 5.1%.
