AI Data Insight
According to the latest data, Japan's import price index for August 2026 (Q3) dropped to 193.7 from 199.7 in the previous month, ending a short-term sharp upward trend. Benefiting from a pullback in international oil prices, the month-on-month decrease was approximately 3.0%, and the year-on-year growth rate also narrowed from the historical high of the previous month. Despite the slight cooling of the data, the absolute value of import costs remains at a high level, which the market expects will continue to exert interest rate hike pressure on the Bank of Japan.