Japan’s inflation cooled for a second month while staying above the Bank of Japan’s price target as the yen’s recent depreciation fuels concerns that cost-push inflationary pressures may be here to stay. Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.2% in April from a year ago, the ministry of internal affairs said Friday. The reading matched analysts’ estimates. The gauge stayed at or above the BOJ’s 2% target for a 25th month. The rise in processed food prices slowed to 3.5% partly due to base effects after those prices jumped a year earlier in a sign businesses were becoming more willing to pass on rising costs to ... (full story)