Japanese consumers are expected to face more challenges amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as a wave of price hikes will hit essential items such as food and daily goods in the new fiscal year beginning Friday due to the rising cost of raw materials. Since there will be changes in fiscal 2022 in some social systems closely related to people’s day-to-day living, such as the lowering of the amount of public pension benefits, the rising prices are likely to squeeze socially vulnerable people like pensioners particularly hard. For example, Megmilk Snow Brand Co., Meiji Co. and Morinaga Milk In…