Japan's producer price index (PPI) rose by 2.0% in February compared to the same time period last year, according to a report released by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) on Wednesday.
The result went under market expectations, marking a slowdown from January's 2.3% increase. On a month-over-month basis, the PPI edged down 0.1%.
The report also highlighted a 5.9% increase in Japan's export price index on a contractual currency basis over the year, with a 1.5% monthly rise. However, import prices climbed 0.6%, from a year earlier and 0.9% compared with January.