Tokyo, Rabi'I 04, 1436, December 26, 2014, SPA -- Consumer prices in Japan climbed at a slower rate of 2.7 percent in November from a year earlier, compared with a 2.9-percent increase in October, dpa quoted the government as saying Friday. Discounting the effect of a sales tax hike in April, the inflation rate would be 0.7 per cent, the Bank of Japan said, down from 0.9 per cent in October. The rate has slowed for the fourth consecutive month. The figures mean the central bank, which has been aiming to lift the rate to 2 percent in or around the next financial year starting April 2015, is further away from its target. The core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food, stood at 103.4 against a base of 100 for 2010, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. -- SPA 11:06 LOCAL TIME 08:06 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w