Japanese Inflation Stays at Zero Even as Economy Reopens

Japan’s key inflation gauge stayed at zero for a second month as the economy continued to reopen amid weak global oil prices and a rise in domestic virus infections that could damp activity going forward.

Consumer prices excluding fresh food were unchanged in July from a year earlier, the ministry of internal affairs reported Friday. Energy continued to weigh on the index, while higher costs for housing and overseas travel packages pushed upward. Economists had forecast an overall gain of 0.1%.