Japanese inflation ticks up, but spending still weak

Core inflation, excluding volatile fresh food prices, rose 2.2 percent year-on-year in March, logging the first increase since May 2014, the internal affairs ministry said. Analysts say policymakers will almost certainly be forced to expand the BoJ's massive monetary easing scheme in a bid to jack up prices and counter a downturn in the world's number three economy. Sustained inflation is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive to conquer stagnant or falling prices and