Using microdata from the Retail Price Survey (the basic statistics for the Consumer Price Index), we document facts regarding price stickiness in Japan. The main results are as follows: (1) The average frequency of price changes approximates \(20\%\) on a monthly basis. (2) The frequency of price changes is more heterogeneous than that in the US (3) Whereas no clear relationship exists between the frequency and size of price changes, a positive correlation emerges between the size of price changes and price dispersion across stores. (4) Large cities tend to have a higher frequency of price changes and smaller price dispersion than small cities. (5) A positive relationship exists between price changes and jobs-to-applicants ratio for some services. (6) Behind the 2022–2023 price increase, the frequency of price changes exhibits a notable increase for certain goods and services such as eating out, while no distinct change is observed for the size of price changes or price dispersion.
