TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - The Tokyo-area March consumer price index rose 0.3 pct month-on-month after a 0.4 pct fall in February, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications said. Year-on-year, March CPI declined 1.2 pct, following a fall of 1.7 pct the month before, it said. Excluding fresh food prices, the Tokyo-area CPI in March was up 0.3 pct month-on-month after falling 0.1 pct in February. Core CPI fell 0.7 pct year-on-year, following a 0.9 pct decline in February. Private-sector economists forecast March CPI would come in at between a fall of 1.3 and 1.8 pct year-on-year, with the consensus around a fall of 1.6 pct. They forecast core CPI would come in at between a fall of 0.8 and 1.1 pct year-on-year, with the consensus at around a fall of 0.9 pct.