TOKYO (MNI) – The average price of regular gasoline in Japan this
week fell to Y139.6 ($1.79) per liter, or $6.80 per gallon, from Y139.7
last week, data from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy showed
Wednesday.
The average gasoline price marked the first fall in two weeks,
after snapping the 14th straight weekly drop in the previous week.
The average retail price this week was 7.3% below the Y150.6 per
liter price seen a year earlier, the ninth straight week of a
year-on-year decline, following a 6.4% drop in the previous week.
The average price of regular gasoline reached Y139.4 in the week
started July 9, the lowest since Y139.0 in the Feb. 28, 2011 week.
In the May 21, 2012 week, the average price of regular gasoline
marked the first year-on-year drop since the week that started on Nov.
24, 2009.
Before the recent decline, the price reached Y158.3 in the week
starting April 2, the highest in three and a half years.
The average price of high-octane gasoline stood at Y150.4 per liter
this week, down from Y150.5 in the previous week. It hit a record high
of Y196.0 on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average price of diesel fuel was at Y121.1 per liter, down from
Y121.3 in the previous week, the first fall in two weeks. That compares
with the record high of Y167.4 recorded on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average over-the-counter price of kerosene for heating stood at
Y1,586 per 18 liters this week, down from Y1,588 last week. It posted a
record high of Y2,378 on Aug. 11, 2008.
The average home-delivery kerosene price was at Y1,702 per 18
liters, down from Y1,704 the previous week. It hit a record high of
Y2,484 on Aug. 11, 2008.
tokyo@marketnews.com
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[TOPICS: M$J$$$,M$A$$$,MAJDS$]