Japan's core consumer prices rose 1.8% in July from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday.
The core consumer price index, which includes oil products but excludes fresh food prices, compared with economists' median estimate for a 1.8% annual gain.
Stripping away the effect of fresh food and energy, consumer prices rose 1.9% in July from a year ago.
(This story has been corrected to fix percentage rise to 1.9% from 1.8% in paragraph 3)
