Sept wholesale prices up 2.8 yryr vs f39;cast 2.3
Spike in rice prices drive up wholesale inflation
Yenbased import prices fall 2.6, eases pain on retailers
Focus of BOJ policy shifts to service inflation

TOKYO, Oct 10 Reuters Japan39;s wholesale inflation accelerated in September but prices of imported goods slid due to the yen39;s rebound, data showed on Thursday, suggesting that price pressures from raw material costs were subsiding.

The decline in import costs will likely shift the Bank of Japan39;s attention to whether a more demanddriven rise in inflation takes hold in the world39;s fourthlargest economy.

The corporate goods price index CGPI, which measures the price companies charge each other for their goods and services, rose 2.8 in September from a year earlier, BOJ data showed, exceeding a median market forecast for a 2.3 gain.

It accelerated from a 2.6 increase in August due largely to a surge in the price of rice, which is in short supply due to a combination of bad weather and increasing demand from overseas tourists.

The yenbased import price index fell 2.6 yearonyear in September after a 2.5 gain in August, marking the first decline in eight months, the data showed.

The slump was driven by the resumption of government subsidies aimed at curbing utility bills, and the yen39;s rebound that made the cost of importing commodities and raw material cheaper.

Receding expectations of big rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve is putting a floor on the…