Japan's core inflation slowed in March due to mild rises in food prices while staying comfortably above the central bank's 2 per cent target, government data showed on Friday. The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes fresh food items, rose 2.6 per cent in March from a year earlier after rising 2.8 per cent in February. It matched the median market forecast. The "core core" index, which excludes both fresh food and energy costs and is closely watched by the Bank of Japan as a key gauge of broader inflation trends, rose 2.9 per cent after increasing 3.2 per cent in February. It was the first time ... (full story)