Japan consumer inflation eases slightly in November

Japan's consumer price inflation edged down in November but stayed above the central bank's target, official data showed Friday.

According to the Statistics Bureau of Japan, the national consumer price index dropped to 2.9% in November from 3.0% in October, still higher than Bank of Japan's 2% target.

Core CPI, which excludes volatile fresh food prices, held steady at 3.0% in November, matching the previous month's figures and the consensus forecast cited by FXStreet.

Meanwhile core CPI excluding fresh food and energy fell to 3.0% in November from 3.1% in October.

The figures came ahead of the BoJ's interest rate decision at 0300 GMT on Friday, with investors watching for policy signals as inflation remains above target.

The CPI is calculated using a basket of goods and services that reflect household consumption expenditure in Japan.