Businesstobusiness wholesale prices up 0.9 in April yryr
Yenbased import goods prices jump 6.4 in April yryr
Weak yen, fading subsidies to keep wholesale prices in uptrend
Many analysts expect BOJ to hike rate again by October survey

TOKYO, May 14 Reuters Japan39;s wholesale inflation held steady at 0.9 in April as the yen39;s declines pushed up import costs, suggesting another wave of price hikes could prod the central bank to raise interest rates again in the near term.

Analysts expect wholesale inflation to accelerate in coming months, as the effect of government subsidies to curb utility bills fade and add to price pressures from rising import costs.

The yearonyear rise in the corporate goods price index CGPI, which measures the price companies charge each other for their goods and services, compared with the median market forecast for a 0.8 gain and followed a 0.9 increase in March.

An index measuring the yenbased import goods prices jumped 6.4 in April from a year earlier after a 1.4 increase in March, Bank of Japan BOJ data showed on Tuesday, reflecting the currency39;s recent sharp declines.

Inflationary pressure driven by rising import costs will likely heighten, said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. If such costdriven price pressure becomes too strong, the BOJ could see scope to raise interest rates.

The BOJ ended eight years of negative interest rates and other remnants of its radical stimulus in March as it judged that sustained…