Japanese prices continued to rise briskly in July with the rate of inflation remaining steady, suggesting that the country's economic recovery trend remains intact despite the recent contraction in growth. Government data released Friday showed that the nationwide core consumer price index rose 1.3% on year after factoring out a sales tax increase that took effect in April. The CPI's rise matched the on-year rise in June and also matched the average forecast made by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. Market participants and policy makers are keenly watching the CPI as they try to determine how far away the ... (full story)