Japan's core inflation accelerated in March due to persistent rises in food costs, data showed on Friday, complicating the central bank's task of weighing mounting price pressures against risks to the economy from higher U.

Japan’s core consumer inflation gained pace in March due to higher food prices, helping the Bank of Japan make a case for further interest-rate increases despite tariff concerns.

Rice prices in Japan last month were almost twice what they were a year earlier, official data showed Friday, as core inflation accelerated in the world's number four economy. The data is likely to strengthen expectations that the Bank of Japan will hike interest rates,