TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's core consumer prices in September rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier, increasing at a slower pace for the first time in five months due to the resumption of government subsidies for utility bills, government data showed Friday.

The increase in the nationwide core consumer price index, excluding volatile fresh food, eased from a 2.8 percent rise in August. Still, the inflation rate has remained above the Bank of Japan's 2 percent target since April 2022.

The core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food and shows underlying price trends, was up 2.1 percent, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

The core-CPI would have risen 2.9 percent if the effect of the energy subsidies was removed, a ministry official said, indicating the momentum of rising prices has still not faded amid a weaker yen, which makes imports more expensive.

Energy prices gained 6.0 percent, growing at a slower pace than the 12.0 percent increase marked in August.

The government, which had terminated subsidies for electricity and city gas bills in June, reinstated them for electricity and gas used between August and October to help households cope with rises in energy expenses caused by hot weather.

Among other major items, food prices increased 3.1 percent, a sharper increase than the 2.9 percent rise in August, as the price of rice rose 44.7 percent, the fastest pace in 49 years, the ministry said.

The high summer temperatures last year caused a smaller harvest while more farmers passed on increased production costs, such as for labor and fertilizer, through hikes in rice prices, according to the ministry.

The summer heat also dented shipments of some vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes and pears, leading to higher prices for those products.

Prices of household durable goods and hotel expenses rose 6.5 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, increasing at a slower pace than in August.

The price trend in October will be closely monitored to see how inflation is developing as many manufacturers and service providers are expected to further raise prices from that month, a ministry official said.

"The current trend of rising prices has not changed much as the slower growth in prices was almost entirely due to the government subsidies," said Yoshiki Shinke, senior executive economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

"The Bank of Japan will judge that prices are still moving in line with its expectations and will raise its policy rate at the appropriate time," he said, predicting the next rate hike will likely come in December or January.

The central bank is generally expected to maintain the current policy rate of around 0.25 percent at its two-day meeting from Oct. 30.

The BOJ ended its negative rate policy in March in its first rate hike in 17 years, followed by another rate increase in July.