Japan’s food prices rose 3.2% year-on-year in June 2026, easing from 3.5% in May and marking the smallest increase since July 2024. Price gains slowed for fresh vegetables (2.6% vs 3.8% in May), cakes and candies (5.7% vs 8.1%), prepared foods (4.2% vs 4.4%), and beverages (6.8% vs 8.7%).
At the same time, cereal prices declined for a second consecutive month (-2.5% vs -0.9%), while fresh fruit remained in deflation (-0.9% vs -1.6%). In contrast, inflation picked up for several categories: fish and seafood (6.9% vs 5.5%), meat (4.3% vs 3.5%), dairy products and eggs (4.6% vs 3.6%), oils, fats, and seasonings (4.2% vs 3.9%), alcoholic beverages (0.4% vs 0.2%), and meals eaten out (1.2% vs 1.0%).
Among staple foods, rice prices fell 8.7% from a year earlier, declining for the second month in a row and posting the steepest drop since August 2015.
