Average monthly gasoline retail prices in Tokyo Japan 2017-2022

As of December 2022, the average gasoline retail price in Tokyo Prefecture stood at about 169.4 Japanese yen per liter. In mid-March 2022, the gasoline price briefly hovered around 180 yen per liter in Japan's capital. At the time, energy markets were in turmoil as Russia's war on Ukraine unfolded and sanctions severed trade agreements.

 Why do gasoline prices fluctuate?

Crude oil prices and changes in supply and demand are the main factors to affect gasoline prices around the world. Since crude oil is the main ingredient of gasoline, prices tend to change rapidly when something impacts crude oil supplies, refinery operations or pipeline deliveries. Furthermore, seasonal changes in demand can affect gasoline prices, even if crude oil prices remain stable. Historically, prices tend to peak in summer when the travel demand increases. Other factors are crises, wars, or natural disasters in oil-producing regions, since they can obstruct the production and transportation, and thus cause higher crude oil prices.

 Oil industry in Japan

In recent years, oil made up the highest share of energy consumption in Japan. Since the country lacks domestic reserves of fossil fuels, it is heavily dependent on imports. Most of Japan’s crude oil imports came from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Nevertheless, Japan's oil consumption has decreased significantly since 1995. It only shortly increased after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011, when nuclear energy was replaced by fossil fuels. In more recent years, the figures indicated a decline in oil consumption as Japan aims to diversify its energy mix to be less dependent on fossil fuel imports and to increase its self-sufficiency rate of primary energy.