* Sept core CPI rises 0.1% yr/yr vs f’cast +0.1% * Rise reflects inflationary pressure from fuel costs * Analysts expect inflation to accelerate, for wrong reasons TOKYO, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Japan’s core consumer prices rose in September for the first time since the country was in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, a sign that rising energy and raw material costs are gradually pushing up inflation. Analysts expect rising fuel costs to accelerate consumer inflation in coming months, though any increase will be modest compared with other advanced economies as sluggish wage growth weighs on consumption and keeps firms from hiking prices much. The nationwide core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food prices but includes fuel costs, rose 0.1% in September from a year earlier, government data showed on Friday, matching a median market forecast for a 0.1% gain and compared with zero growth in August. The data will be among factors the Bank of Japan will consider at next week’s policy meeting, when it releases fresh quarterly growth and inflation projections. The BOJ is likely to cut its consumer inflation forecast for the year ending in March, sources have told Reuters, as weak consumption and one-off factors such as cuts in cellphone charges offset upward pressure from energy costs. Japan has not been immune to global commodity inflation, with wholesale prices surging at a 13-year high of 6.3% in September, putting pressure on corporate profit margins and raising the risk of unwanted consumer price hikes. But consumer inflation has been stuck around zero as firms remain hesitant of passing on higher costs to households. Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Sam Holmes