Market players who expect higher interest rates in Japan have another data point to back up their view. Overall consumer prices in the Tokyo metropolitan area, an early indicator of the national trend, _**rose 4.4% in the January reading**_, the _**highest level since June 1981**_. The number slightly topped expectations and briefly nudged up the yen. In December, the yen strengthened after the Bank of Japan [lifted its cap](https://www.wsj.com/articles/japan-bends-to-global-forces-pushing-up-in