Consumer inflation in the Tokyo metropolitan area picked up slightly in January, government data showed Friday, supporting the Bank of Japan’s plan to pursue more interest-rate increases.

Consumer prices excluding fresh food in the capital climbed 2.5% in January from a year earlier, the fastest pace since last February, the internal affairs ministry said Friday. Overall price gains also sped up to 3.4%, the fastest clip in nearly two years, as the cost of fresh food jumped.

Core inflation in Japan's capital hit 2.5%, marking the fastest annual pace in nearly a year, well exceeding the central bank's 2% target and keeping alive market expectations for further interest rate hikes.

An uptick in inflation in the Tokyo metropolitan area and solid outturns in other key Japanese economic data support the Bank of Japan’s plan to pursue more interest-rate increases.

Tokyos consumer price index (CPI) inflation accelerated in January, reaching a near two-year high as strong private spending sustained price growth. The headline CPI rose 3.4% year-on-year, up from 3% in December,