Average Gas Price in Japan Climbs to Record High; Pump Price Up for 15th Week in a Row

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prices are displayed at a gas station in Nagano on Aug. 23.

Retail prices for regular gasoline in Japan averaged ¥185.6 per liter as of Monday, up ¥1.9 from a week before and the highest price since weekly statistics were first kept in August 1990, the Natural Resources and Energy Agency announced Wednesday.

The price rose amid the high price of crude oil and the weak yen. There has also been a gradual decrease in government subsidies that suppress gasoline prices.

The average price for regular gasoline rose for the 15th consecutive week.