Japan consumer prices down in September

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch)
Japanese consumer prices deflated in September, compared to a year earlier, though the drop was less than expected
The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh-food prices, slipped 0.1% from September 2011, the Finance Ministry said Friday morning ahead of the start of stock trading The result compared to a consensus expectations for a 0.2% drop, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey of economists
Losses for prices of furniture, household utensils, and culture and recreation led the decline Compared to August, however, core CPI rose 0.2%
Overall CPI fell 0.3% from a year earlier but rose 0.1% month-on-month