According to government data on Friday, inflation in Tokyo grew 2.5% year-on-year in September, falling short of forecasts of 2.8%, though it held steady from August rates. The “core-core” rate, excluding fresh food and energy prices, cooled to 2.5% in September after hitting 3.0% in August. While still above the BOJ’s 2% target, the pullback has spurred yen weakness and sharpened focus on the US CPI report later in the day.