Annual core inflation in April hit a four-year low and stayed below the central bank's 2 per cent target for a third straight month, as fuel and education subsidies offset rising raw material costs from the Middle East conflict. Analysts expect consumer inflation to re-accelerate in the coming months as surging oil prices and higher import prices from a weak yen keep the Bank of Japan (BOJ) under pressure to raise interest rates. The Tokyo core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food costs, rose 1.5 per cent in April from a year earlier, slowing from a 1.7 per cent gain in March and marking the ... (full story)