TOKYO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan's core consumer prices rose 2.7 percent from a year earlier in November, with the pace of increase expanding for the first time in three months, government data showed Friday.

The rise in the nationwide core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, accelerated from a 2.3 percent rise in October and a 2.4 percent gain in September, growing for the 39th consecutive month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

The inflation rate has remained at or above the Bank of Japan (BOJ)'s 2 percent target since April 2022.

Core-core CPI, which excludes both fresh food and energy costs and is closely watched by the BOJ as a key gauge of broader inflation trends, was up 2.4 percent, accelerating from a 2.3 percent increase the previous month, the data showed.

As the government reduced subsidies to ease the financial burden on households, energy prices in November rose 6.0 percent, up from a 2.3 percent gain in October.

Electricity bills jumped 9.9 percent, bigger than a 4.0 percent increase in October, while city gas bills climbed 6.4 percent against the previous month's 1.8 percent rise.

Rice prices, meanwhile, have surged 63.6 percent, the biggest-ever increase since comparable data became available in 1971, as supplies reduced after an unusually hot summer last year, with farmers passing on higher production costs to consumers. Enditem

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