Pacific motorists will have to dig a bit deeper into their pockets when filling up at base pumps next week.
Starting Saturday, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service and Navy Exchange will add almost 7 cents to the price of a gallon of unleaded regular, marking the sixth consecutive week of record-breaking prices.
In mainland Japan and Okinawa, it will cost $3.702 for a gallon of unleaded midgrade, up 6.7 cents. The cost of a gallon of diesel will soar to $4.302, an increase of 16.6 cents.
However, motorists can take some consolation knowing that the cost of a gallon of unleaded regular remains a bit lower than this week’s stateside average of $3.81. That’s because of the 25-cent-per-gallon Japanese government discount applied at the pump.
Forecasters are warning the average unleaded price in the States will vault over the $4 per gallon barrier during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
In South Korea and Guam, prices are closer to stateside trends, with a gallon of unleaded regular increasing 6.9 cents to $3.856 in South Korea and jumping 7 cents on Guam to $3.899.
Premium unleaded will cost $4.082 a gallon in South Korea, up 7.3 cents, and diesel fuel will increase by 16.6 cents to $4.562.
On Guam, a gallon of premium midgrade will cost $3.999 per gallon, up 7 cents, and a gallon of diesel will set a motorist back $4.119, an increase of 7 cents.
Still, buying gas on base in Japan, for instance, is cheaper than on the local economy, where the average cost for a gallon is 159.20 yen per liter, according to Kyodo News. That’s 603.34 yen per gallon (about $5.92).
And gas prices in Europe are even higher, with the equivalent of $8.38 per gallon in the United Kingdom and $7.86 per gallon in Germany at the beginning of May, according to AIRINC, a research company that tracks cost-of-living data.
