Tokyo consumer prices up 2.1% in June

The latest inflation figures for Tokyo show consumer prices continued to climb in the Japanese capital in June.

The internal affairs ministry says the consumer price index for Tokyo's 23 wards rose a preliminary 2.1 percent in June from a year earlier.

The figure reached the Bank of Japan's 2-pecent target for the first time in three months.

The index excludes fresh food, which tends to have wide price fluctuations depending on weather conditions.

Electricity charges jumped 10.8 percent year-on-year, while city gas bills rose 3.8 percent.

The government reduced subsidies to cover the higher utilities charges, and this was a factor behind the increases.

Prices of food excluding perishables were up 3 percent. That's down 0.2 percentage points from May.

Tokyo's CPI is considered to be a leading indicator of inflation nationwide.