TOKYO (MNI) – The average price of regular gasoline in Japan this
week slipped to Y149.0 ($1.91) per liter, or $7.26 per gallon, from
Y149.2 last week, marking the first drop in 10 weeks, data from the
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy showed Wednesday.
The average retail price this week was 3.3% above the Y144.2 per
liter price seen a year earlier, a fifth straight week of year-on-year
rise, following a 2.8% gain in the previous week.
In recent months, the average price of regular gasoline reached
Y139.4 in the week that began on July 9, the lowest since Y139.0 in the
Feb. 28, 2011 week.
In the May 21, 2012 week, the average price of regular gasoline
marked the first year-on-year drop since the week that started on Nov.
24, 2009.
Earlier, the gasoline price hit Y158.3 in the week starting on
April 2, the highest in three and a half years.
The average price of high-octane gasoline stood at Y159.8 per liter
this week, down from Y160.0 in the previous week. It hit a record high
of Y196.0 on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average price of diesel fuel was at Y128.3 per liter, down from
Y128.5 from the previous week. That compares with the record high of
Y167.4 recorded on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average over-the-counter price of kerosene for heating stood at
Y1,659 per 18 liters this week, down from Y1,660 last week. It posted a
record high of Y2,378 on Aug. 11, 2008.
The average home-delivery kerosene price was at Y1,778 per 18
liters, down from Y1,779 the previous week. It hit a record high of
Y2,484 on Aug. 11, 2008.
tokyo@marketnews.com
** MNI Tokyo Newsroom: 81-3-6860-4821 **
[TOPICS: M$J$$$,M$A$$$,MAJDS$]
