Japan Food Inflation Lingers Near 15-Month Low

2026-03-23 23:44 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

Food prices in Japan rose 4.0% year-on-year in February 2026, slightly accelerating from a 3.9% increase in the prior month.

Despite the uptick, price growth remained close to its slowest pace since October 2024.

Costs moderated for cereals (7.3% vs 12.0% in January), meats (3.7% vs 3.8%), fish and seafood (7.2% vs 7.9%), cakes and candies (8.1% vs 8.2%), meals eaten out (3.7% vs 3.9%), and prepared foods (4.9% vs 5.0%).

At the same time, prices continued to decline for fresh vegetables (-9.0% vs -14.0%) and fresh fruit (-10.7% vs -10.4%).

Among staples, rice prices increased 17.1% from a year earlier, notably slowing from a 27.9% rise in January and posting the slowest increase in 21 months following efforts from Tokyo to ease persistent upward pressure seen last year.

Simultaneously, inflation accelerated for dairy products and eggs (7.5% vs 7.4%), oils, fats, and seasonings (5.3% vs 4.8%), beverages (9.1% vs 7.8%), and alcoholic beverages (5.0% vs 4.9%).



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Japan Food Inflation Lingers Near 15-Month Low
Food prices in Japan rose 4.0% year-on-year in February 2026, slightly accelerating from a 3.9% increase in the prior month. Despite the uptick, price growth remained close to its slowest pace since October 2024. Costs moderated for cereals (7.3% vs 12.0% in January), meats (3.7% vs 3.8%), fish and seafood (7.2% vs 7.9%), cakes and candies (8.1% vs 8.2%), meals eaten out (3.7% vs 3.9%), and prepared foods (4.9% vs 5.0%). At the same time, prices continued to decline for fresh vegetables (-9.0% vs -14.0%) and fresh fruit (-10.7% vs -10.4%). Among staples, rice prices increased 17.1% from a year earlier, notably slowing from a 27.9% rise in January and posting the slowest increase in 21 months following efforts from Tokyo to ease persistent upward pressure seen last year. Simultaneously, inflation accelerated for dairy products and eggs (7.5% vs 7.4%), oils, fats, and seasonings (5.3% vs 4.8%), beverages (9.1% vs 7.8%), and alcoholic beverages (5.0% vs 4.9%).
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Japan Food Prices Rise the Least in 15 Months
Food prices in Japan increased by 3.9% year-on-year in January 2026, slowing from a 5.1% gain in the previous month and marking the slowest rise since October 2024. Costs moderated for cereals (12.0% vs 14.7% in December), meats (3.8% vs 4.7%), dairy products and eggs (7.4% vs 7.8%), cakes and candies (8.2% vs 8.6%), meals eaten out (3.9% vs 4.0%), and prepared foods (5.0% vs 5.7%). At the same time, prices fell much steeper for fresh vegetables (-14.0% vs -7.1%) and fresh fruit (-10.4% vs -5.8%). Among staples, rice prices increased 27.9% from a year earlier, slowing from a 34.4% rise in December and posting the slowest increase in 18 months amid continued efforts from Tokyo to cool persistent upward pressure on staple food costs. Simultaneously, inflation accelerated for fish and seafood (7.9% vs 6.6%), oils, fats, and seasonings (4.8% vs 4.5%), beverages (7.8% vs 7.7%), and alcoholic beverages (4.9% vs 4.7%).
2026-02-19
Japan Food Prices Rise the Least in 13 Months
Food prices in Japan increased by 5.1% year-on-year in December 2025, slowing from a 6.1% gain in the previous month and marking the slowest rise since November 2024. Costs moderated for cereals (14.7% vs 15.8% in November), beverages (7.7% vs 8.4%), cakes and candies (8.6% vs 8.8%), meals eaten out (4.0% vs 4.2%), and prepared foods (5.7% vs 6.3%). At the same time, prices of fresh vegetables fell for the first time in six months (-7.1% vs 1.2%). Among staples, rice prices increased 34.4% from a year earlier, slowing from a 37.1% rise in November and posting the slowest increase in 16 months amid Tokyo’s ongoing efforts to ease persistent upward pressure on staple food costs. Simultaneously, fresh fruit prices fell further (-5.8% vs -3.5%). In contrast, inflation accelerated for dairy products and eggs (7.8% vs 7.7%), oils, fats, and seasonings (4.5% vs 4.2%), meat (4.7% vs 4.3%), fish and seafood (6.6% vs 5.8%), and alcoholic beverages (4.7% vs. 4.9%).
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