Core consumer prices in the capital city - widely considered a leading indicator of nationwide price trends - likely stayed in positive territory for a fifth consecutive month, even when stripping out the boost from 2020's low comparison base brought about by discount travel offers.
The consumer price index CPI of Tokyo, which includes energy but excludes fresh food prices, is expected to rise by 0.3% in January, according to a poll of 16 economists.
It would be the slowest growth in the core CPI of Japan's capital since a 0.3% gain in November.
As rising import costs are passed on, the gains will be offset by special downside factors, economists at SMBC Nikko Securities wrote in a note.
A government campaign to give consumers discounts on overnight stays, suspended in December 2020 after a jump in COVID 19 cases, likely resulted in less downward pressure on prices early last year, slowing year-on-year price growth.
The Bank of Japan BOJ this week upgraded its inflation forecasts for the fiscal year starting from April due to a surge in global commodity prices, which has propelled more firms to pass on higher costs to consumers.
Minutes of the December policy meeting of the BOJ on Friday showed that some of the board members of the central bank said Japanese firms might be more aggressive in doing that.