The Bank of Japan released inflation data for the first time: The core CPI rose by 2.2% year-on-year in February.

The Bank of Japan said on Thursday that the core consumer price index in Japan, excluding special factors, rose by 2.2% year-on-year in February. This is the first time that the Bank of Japan has released this index. Analysts believe that this move is aimed at showing that the potential inflation level is in line with expectations, paving the way for further interest rate hikes. The new index excludes "institutional factors" such as changes in consumption tax rates or energy subsidies, and its year-on-year increase is higher than the baseline core CPI data released by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications this week. The Bank of Japan stated on Thursday that it will release this data on a monthly basis after the nationwide consumer price index data is released two days later.