The retail price of regular gasoline this week is 164.6 yen per liter on a national average, which is the highest level in about 7 years.
The background is the soaring price of crude oil futures.
Rising gasoline and crude oil prices are slowly affecting our lives.
Gasoline price rises for 7 consecutive weeks, the highest level in about 7 years
According to the Petroleum Information Center, which is commissioned by the government to investigate gasoline prices, the retail price of regular gasoline as of the 18th was 164.6 yen per liter on average nationwide.
The price has increased by 2.5 yen from last week and has reached the highest level in about 7 years since mid-October 2014.
The price has risen for 7 consecutive weeks, and during this time it has risen by nearly 7 yen.
At the gas station
Due to the soaring gasoline prices, car users and others are surprised and give up.
Of these, at the gas station in Aoba, Aomori City, the price has been raised twice this month in response to the soaring crude oil price, and on the 18th, the price of regular gasoline was raised by 5 yen per liter and started selling at 160 yen. I did.
A woman in her 50s who visited for refueling on the 20th said, "I was surprised that the price was so high when I came to refuel for the first time in a long time. I will refuel diligently while watching. "
Soaring crude oil in the background
The rise in gasoline prices is due to the continued rise in crude oil futures prices against the backdrop of rising demand accompanying the resumption of global economic activity.
In the New York crude oil market, international crude oil futures prices continued to rise, hitting a temporary high of $ 83 a barrel on the 17th for the first time in about seven years.
Expert "Gap between production growth and demand growth"
Daisuke Hine, chief researcher at the Middle East Research Center of the Japan Energy Economics Research Institute, who is familiar with the crude oil market, said, "Demand is increasing worldwide due to the progress of vaccination with the new coronavirus vaccine and the recovery of economic activity. Oil-producing countries are gradually increasing their production, but the speed of economic recovery is faster, and the major reason is that there is a gap between the growth of crude oil production and the increase in demand. "
Furthermore, "In Europe and China, the demand for natural gas used for power generation is increasing, and we have no choice but to switch some fuels to oil. In addition, some oil-producing countries have been suffering from sluggish prices so far. In some countries, the facilities have not been improved and production has not been sufficiently expanded due to the influence of the above. I have the impression that energy is tight overall, which is also affecting the crude oil market. "
Gradually affecting your life At a cleaning company
Soaring crude oil prices that cannot be stopped.
It is gradually affecting our lives.
Of these, cleaning companies are having an impact on their management due to the cost of fuel.
A cleaning company with its head office and factory in Taihaku-ku, Sendai uses heavy oil to power the boiler and use it to dry ironing steam and clothing.
However, the rise in crude oil prices has led to a 42% increase in the price of heavy oil that powers boilers compared to the same period last year.
Also, dry cleaning uses a solvent made from petroleum, and the price of this solvent has also risen 7.5% since July.
In addition, the cost of fuel for vehicles used for delivery is rising, and these costs are putting pressure on the company's management.
The taxi company
Soaring crude oil prices are also a drag on businesses trying to recover from the impact of the new Corona.
At a taxi company in Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, sales in September are about 40 million yen less than before the spread of the infection.
After the state of emergency was lifted, there was a recovery trend, but the price of LP gas, which is the fuel for taxis, has risen due to soaring crude oil prices, making management even more difficult.
The price of LP gas with a company that deals with it was 49 yen per liter in May last year, but it was 76.5 yen in October, which is about 1.5 times higher.
The fuel cost for the entire company in September was about 6 million yen, an increase of about 1 million yen compared to the same month last year.
The impact is also on tuna fishing at its peak
It has also had a major impact on tuna fishing in Oma Town, Aomori Prefecture, which is at its peak.
According to the Oma Town Fisheries Cooperative, which is known for tuna fishing, the fuel price of fishing boats per liter in this area was 91.5 yen for heavy oil and 107 yen for light oil as of the 20th, respectively, compared to a month ago. It is rising 6.5 yen.
On the other hand, the wholesale price of tuna has fallen to about one-third of the average year due to the drop in demand for eating out due to the influence of the new coronavirus, so the rise in fuel prices is rising in the local fishery industry. It is a big burden on people.
Tuna fishing is at its peak in Oma Town, but one of the fishermen has reduced the number of fishing times to half or slowed down the boat for the past month in order to reduce fuel consumption. He said that the amount of landed fish was about 30% lower than the same period of the year.
The impact is expected to spread in the future
The impact is likely to continue.
In response to the rise in crude oil prices, major chemical manufacturers are moving to raise prices for plastic materials and other materials.
Of these, Mitsubishi Chemical has requested its business partners to raise the price of films used for food packaging, etc. by 10% from the shipment on November 1.
Sumitomo Chemical also requested its business partners to raise the price of plastic materials.
Expert "Toward downward pressure on consumption"
Regarding the impact of soaring crude oil prices on the Japanese economy, Hideo Kumano, chief economist at Daiichi Seimei Keizai Kenkyusho, said, "It is the timing when personal consumption was expected to recover on the premise that the infection situation has settled down. It hurts very much that the price of gasoline etc. has risen. "
On top of that, "When the price of kerosene rises in winter, the amount of money spent on heating will increase, and it is expected that the purse string will become stiff, especially for the elderly, and it is wary that it will put downward pressure on overall personal consumption. For companies, the industry that uses petroleum products will have smaller profit margins, and will suffer mainly from small and medium-sized companies that are difficult to pass on the increase in price. "
As a future response, "Given the risk of crude oil prices, it is necessary to reduce fossil fuels in energy. It is also necessary for the government to further support the spread of renewable energy as a medium- to long-term policy." I'm talking.