An index measuring corporate service prices in Japan was up 0.2 percent on year in April, the Bank of Japan said on Monday, standing at 96.5.
That beat forecasts for a contraction of 0.2 percent, which would have been unchanged from the upwardly revised reading in March - which originally was pegged at -0.3 percent.
Prices were flat on month after jumping 0.9 percent in March.
Among the individual components, prices rose for advertising, communications and real estate services - while transportation and finance prices moved lower.
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