[Bank of Japan Survey: Corporate Inflation Expectations for the Next Year Drop to 2.6%] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on October 1, Japanese companies expect consumer prices to rise by an average of 2.6% over the next year, a decrease from the forecast three months ago. A survey released by the Bank of Japan on Thursday showed that companies previously anticipated a 2.7% increase in prices over the next year. As part of the Bank of Japan's September 'Tankan' survey, the surveyed companies also projected that consumer prices would rise by an average of 2.6% annually over the next three years and by 2.5% annually over the next five years. The Bank of Japan has included corporate price expectation surveys in its 'Tankan' survey since March 2014 to gather more information on inflation expectations, which serve as an important reference for its current monetary easing policy.