Japanese wholesale prices fell 6.6 per cent in the year to June, the biggest annual drop on record, as the world's second largest economy slides deeper into its second spell of deflation this decade.
Declines in oil and raw materials costs weighed on wholesale prices, but falling final goods prices showed weak domestic demand was also to blame as companies curb capital spending and slash jobs following a record contraction in the first quarter.
"The slide in wholesale prices is highly likely to widen in July, August and September, exceeding 7 per cent down the road.
Today's data would help the Bank of Japan reinforce its cautious stance on the economy," said Tetsuro Sawano, senior fixed income strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities.
Wholesale inflation has evaporated after hitting a 27-year peak last August, as the global financial crisis sent commodity prices tumbling.
The fall in the corporate goods price index was bigger than a median market forecast for a 6.4 per cent drop and followed a revised 5.5 per cent slide in the year to May, marking the sixth straight month of annual declines.
Reflecting weak demand at home, domestic final goods prices dropped 2.6 per cent in the year to June, the biggest decline since 2002, pointing to further pressure on consumer prices, which fell a record 1.1 per cent in May from a year earlier.
Wholesale prices have tended to move more sharply than consumer prices, which fell 1.1 per cent in the year to May. Consumer price data for June will come out at the end of this month.
Underlining the risk of deepening deflation and weakness in final demand, the government estimates that supply capacity now exceeds actual demand by 45 trillion yen ($484 billion) a year.
The Bank of Japan and private-sector economists are forecasting at least two years of deflation.
While opinions are divided about whether this will be mild or a more serious slide that prompts consumers to curb spending, the BOJ says Japan is not facing such a deflationary spiral.
Reuters