Japan's key consumer prices drop in May

TOKYO - Japan's key consumer prices index saw a 0.1 percent fall in May from a year earlier, marking the first drop since January, government data showed Friday.

The core consumer price index stood at 100.0 against the 2010 base of 100, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The reading, which excluded volatile fresh food prices, matched the forecast on the market.

The fall was largely due to the decreased prices of televisions and increasing energy cost fueled up by higher crude oil prices. Gasoline prices climbed 0.9 percent in the month, compared with a 4.2 percent advance in the previous month.