Last month, the price level of services offered to businesses exceeded the same month of the previous year for the first time in six months, partly due to an increase in advertising for the Internet and higher prices.
Every month, the Bank of Japan surveys the prices of various services provided to businesses and publishes them as indexes.
According to it, last month's preliminary figures were 105.3, which is an index with an average of 100 in 2015, 0.7% higher than the same month of the previous year, rising for the first time in 6 months.
By field, the price of "Internet advertising" increased by 10.3% compared to the same month last year due to an increase in advertisements for cashless payments and fast food.
Office rents also rose, with “office rents” rising 2.3%.
On the other hand, “accommodation services” have continued to decline by 18.2% due to the fact that companies are refraining from business trips due to the effects of the new coronavirus.
The Bank of Japan says, "We would like to carefully look at how the third state of emergency will affect service prices between companies."