(Adds detail, background)
* Dec Tokyo core CPI rises 2.1% yr/yr, matches forecast
* Tokyo core CPI slows from November's 2.3% rise
* So-called 'core core' CPI also slows in December
* Data to be scrutinised at BOJ's Jan. 22-23 meeting
TOKYO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed for the second straight month in December, data showed on Tuesday, taking some pressure off the central bank to rush into exiting ultra-loose monetary policy.
The Tokyo inflation data, closely watched as a leading indicator of nationwide price trends, is among key factors the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will scrutinise at the next policy-setting meeting on Jan. 22-23.
Tokyo's core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes fuel costs, rose 2.1% in December from a year earlier, government data showed, matching a median market forecast. It followed a 2.3% rise in November.
The so-called "core core" index that strips away both fresh food and fuel prices - closely watched by the BOJ as a gauge of broader price trends - rose 3.5% in December after a 3.6% gain in November, the data showed.
With inflation having exceeded the BOJ's 2% inflation target for more than a year, many market players expect the bank to start phasing out its massive stimulus some time this year.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has stressed the need to keep policy ultra-loose until recent cost-push inflation is replaced by a demand-driven increase in prices backed by solid wage gains.
The BOJ remains a dovish outlier among global peers, having maintained ultra-loose policy even as central banks elsewhere have raised interest rates aggressively and kept them elevated to fend off inflation risks. (Reporting by Leika Kihara and Tahiko Wada; Editing by Neil Fullick and Jamie Freed)
