Tokyo’s May CPI cooled across all three measures, pushing BoJ June-hike pricing further out as the yen held at 159.25. Korea posted a “triple whammy” — April industrial output, retail sales, and facility investment all fell, with oil refining suffering its sharpest drop since 1988. India’s Sensex shed 1,092 points on a third straight session of US-Iran-deal uncertainty. Indonesia’s rupiah touched a record IDR 17,789 as the JCI extended its weekly loss to 8.35%. China’s Jan-Apr industrial profits surged 18.2% on a 107.7% jump in electronics — the AI-compute thesis priced into the tape. Today’s Asia Pulse covers the region’s finance, markets, economy, and politics — compiled across Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese, and English sources.
Japan — Tokyo CPI Below Target Again
Tokyo May CPI Eases to 1.4%; Core Misses Expectations at 1.3%
Tokyo headline CPI rose 1.4% year-on-year in May, down from 1.5% in April. Tokyo core (excluding fresh food) cooled to 1.3% against expectations of 1.5%; core-core (excluding fresh food and energy) fell to 1.6% from 1.9%.
All three measures sit below the Bank of Japan‘s 2% target for the third consecutive month. The pace marks the slowest since March 2022.
