Core consumer price index inflation– which excludes volatile fresh food prices– rose to 1.9% year-on-year in July, government data showed on Friday. A core reading that excludes both fresh food and energy prices rose to 2.0% in July from 1.9% in the prior month. Headline CPI inflation rose to 2.0% in July from 1.7% in June. While government subsidies had so far shielded consumers from higher energy prices, producer inflation rose sharply in recent months, heralding a spillover into consumer prices. Tokyo inflation data usually acts as a bellwether for nationwide inflation, given the region's economic prevalence.