Producer prices in Japan were down 0.7 percent on month in May, the Bank of Japan said on Monday.
That missed expectations for a decline of 0.2 percent and was down from the upwardly revised 0.3 percent increase in April (originally 0.2 percent).
On a yearly basis, producer prices climbed 5.1 percent - again shy of forecasts for a gain of 5.1 percent and down from the upwardly revised 5.9 percent increase in the previous month (originally 5.8 percent).
Export prices were down 0.2 percent on month and 1.8 percent on year, the bank said, while import prices slipped 0.1 percent on month and 9.6 percent on year.
