Tokyo, Sept. 28 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ocean freight transportation service fees soared 74.2 pct in August from a year before as the war in Iran pushed up crude oil and transportation costs, the Bank of Japan said Monday. The price index for the sector stood at a record high of 271.8 against the 2020 average of 100, the central bank said. The overall services producer price index rose 3.7 pct to 115.4 after climbing 3.6 pct in the previous month. Of the 146 items surveyed, prices of 121 items climbed, and those of eight fell. The BOJ said that it will closely monitor trends in maritime shipping costs and commodity prices, including the impact of the Iran war, and the sustainability of efforts to pass on rising labor and logistics costs to customers. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
