Nationwide consumer prices in Japan gained 0.4 percent on year in January, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday.
That was in line with expectations and up from 0.3 percent in December.
Core CPI, which excludes fresh food costs, added 0.1 percent on year - topping forecasts for a flat reading following the 0.2 percent decline in the previous month.
On a monthly basis, overall inflation added 0.1 percent and core CPI was up 0.3 percent.
Overall inflation in the Tokyo region - considered a leading indicator for the nationwide trend - was down 0.3 percent on year in February. That missed expectations for -0.1 percent after gaining 0.1 percent in January.
Core CPI for Tokyo also fell 0.3 percent - unchanged but missing forecasts for -0.2 percent.
Also on Friday, the bureau said:
• Household spending in Japan was down 1.2 percent on year in January, standing at 279,249 yen.
That missed forecasts for a decline of 0.3 percent on year, which would have been unchanged from the December reading.
The average of monthly income per household stood at 441,064 yen, up 1.0 percent on year.
The average of consumption expenditures per household was 307,150 yen, down an annual 2.3 percent.
• The unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 3.0 percent in January - in line with expectations and down from 3.1 percent in December.
The job-to-applicant ratio was 1.43 percent, unchanged from the previous month but shy of forecasts for 1.44 percent.
The number of employed persons in January was 64.70 million, an increase of 460,000 or 0.7 percent on year.
The number of unemployed persons in January was 1.97 million, a decrease of 140,000 or 6.6 percent on year.
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