A record surge in the price of rice drove Japan's consumer inflation higher in April. The country's staple crop nearly doubled in price compared to the same month a year earlier.
The internal affairs ministry says the 98.4 percent jump was the highest since the government started keeping comparable data in 1971. It was 6.3 points higher than in March, extending a record for the seventh-straight month.
Japan's consumers paid more for popular rice-based dishes. Onigiri rice balls were up 18.1 percent and restaurant sushi increased 5 percent.
Overall, Japan's consumer price index rose 3.5 percent from a year earlier. It was the fifth-straight month for the reading to be at or above 3 percent.
Egg prices rose 10 percent due to a series of bird-flu outbreaks throughout Japan. Beer was up 4.6 percent.
Households paid 13.5 percent more on their electricity bills and 4.7 percent for city gas. Those rises came after the government cut back on energy subsidies.
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