"As it becomes evident that the Bank of Japan's inflation forecast is too optimistic, there will be more pressure on the BOJ to do more"
- Kiichi Murashima, chief economist at Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc.
Japan's consumer prices gained 0.2 per cent in April from the previous year, said the Statistics Bureau on Friday.
"As it becomes evident that the Bank of Japan's inflation forecast is too optimistic, there will be more pressure on the BOJ to do more," Kiichi Murashima, chief economist at Citigroup Global Markets Japan Inc. said in Tokyo.
"For the economy to get out of deflation, a sustained rise in wages is probably necessary."
Japanese stocks closed mixed on Friday.
The Nikkei 225 increased 0.20%, or 17.01 points, to 8,580.39. The broader Topix slid 0.02%, or 0.14, to 722.11.
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