TOKYO, Japan - Japan's core consumer prices fell 1.7 percent in June from a year ago, the biggest drop on record, government data showed Friday.

Core prices, which exclude those of volatile fresh food, fell for the fourth straight month after a 1.1 percent drop in May.

The June fall was the steepest since year-on-year comparisons were first available in 1971, according to the internal affairs ministry.

Compared with May, core prices fell 0.2 percent.

The record year-on-year drop was in line with market expectations amid fears over deflation in the world's second largest economy.

The fall stemmed mainly from lower gasoline and other fuel costs as well as price drops in flat-panel television sets and personal computers, figures from the ministry showed.