TOKYO (MNI) – The average price of regular gasoline in Japan this
week stood at Y139.6 ($1.79) per liter, or $6.80 per gallon, unchanged
from last week, when it posted the first drop in two weeks, data from
the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy showed Wednesday.
The average retail price this week was 7.4% below the Y150.8 per
liter price seen a year earlier, the 10th straight week of a
year-on-year decline, following a 7.3% drop in the previous week.
The average price of regular gasoline reached Y139.4 in the week
that began on July 9, the lowest since Y139.0 in the Feb. 28, 2011 week.
In the May 21, 2012 week, the average price of regular gasoline
marked the first year-on-year drop since the week that started on Nov.
24, 2009.
Before the recent decline, the price reached Y158.3 in the week
starting April 2, the highest in three and a half years.
The average price of high-octane gasoline stood at Y150.4 per liter
this week, unchanged from the previous week. It hit a record high of
Y196.0 on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average price of diesel fuel was at Y121.1 per liter, also
unchanged from the previous week. That compares with the record high of
Y167.4 recorded on Aug. 4, 2008.
The average over-the-counter price of kerosene for heating stood at
Y1,587 per 18 liters this week, up from Y1,586 last week. It posted a
record high of Y2,378 on Aug. 11, 2008.
The average home-delivery kerosene price was at Y1,701 per 18
liters, down from Y1,702 the previous week. It hit a record high of
Y2,484 on Aug. 11, 2008.
tokyo@marketnews.com
** MNI Tokyo Newsroom: 81-3-5403-4835 **
[TOPICS: M$J$$$,M$A$$$,MAJDS$]