Japan firms expect CPI to rise 1.5% a year from now: BOJ tankan

[TOKYO] Japanese companies expect consumer prices to rise an average 1.5 per cent a year from now, unchanged from their projection three months ago, a central bank survey showed on Thursday, underscoring their doubts over the Bank of Japan's pledge to achieve its 2 per cent inflation target next year.

Firms polled by the Bank of Japan, as part of its detailed "tankan" survey for September, also said they expect consumer prices to rise an annual 1.6 percent three years from now and 1.7 percent five years from now.

The BOJ started the survey on corporate price expectations from the tankan in March to gather more information on inflation expectations, key to its current stimulus programme. - Reuters