Japan's core consumer price index rose 3 percent in February compared to last year. The gain was led by a record surge in the price of rice.



It's the third straight month the CPI has remained in the 3-percent range.
The internal affairs ministry reported the figure, excluding volatile fresh food, was 0.2 percentage points lower than the gain for January. This was largely due to the resumption of government subsidies for electricity and gas bills.



The price of rice soared by 80.9 percent from a year ago. That's the biggest increase since 1971, when data became available.



Meanwhile, fresh food prices posted a two-digit increase for the third month in a row. Prices for both cabbage and Chinese cabbage more than doubled from a year ago.