Prices in Japan are soaring: The cost of rice jumped +98.4% year-over-year in April, posting the biggest monthly jump since 1971. This is an acceleration from the +92.1% surge recorded in March. Energy prices rose +9.3% after the March phaseout of Japanese government subsidies for gas and electricity. As a result, Japan's inflation CPI excluding fresh food rose by +3.5% from the previous year, up from a +3.2% gain in March. This marks the 5th consecutive monthly reading at 3%+. Meanwhile, Japan's economy shrank by -0.7% in Q1 2025, the first decline since Q1 2024. Japan has entered stagflation.