BOJ tankan: Japan firms expect CPI to rise 2.4% a year from now

TOKYO, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Japanese companies expect consumer prices to rise an average 2.4% a year from now, unchanged from their projection three months ago, a central bank survey showed on Friday.

Three months ago, companies expected prices to rise 2.4% over the next year.

Firms polled by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), as part of its detailed "tankan" survey for December, also said they expect consumer prices to rise an annual 2.3% three years from now and an annual 2.2% five years from now.

The BOJ started the survey on corporate price expectations from the tankan in March 2014 to gather more information on inflation expectations, key to its current stimulus programme.

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