Japan Pump Price Falls for 1st Time in 4 Weeks

Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s average retail price of regular gasoline fell 0.1 yen from a week earlier to 175.2 yen per liter as of Monday, marking the first decline in four weeks, due to lower crude oil prices, the industry ministry said Wednesday. In the country’s 47 prefectures, the average price at the pump rose in 12, remained unchanged in 12, and fell in 23. Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, had the lowest average price, at 169.4 yen, followed by Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at 170 yen. The highest figure was 185.2 yen, reported in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. In the week through next Monday, the national average price is likely to increase slightly, as the yen’s weakening is expected to push up wholesale gasoline prices, an official at the Oil Information Center of the Institute of Energy Economics said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]