JT price increases approved in Japan

Japan Tobacco Inc. said today that the minister of finance had approved the company’s Jan. 30 application to amend the list prices of its domestic tobacco products at the same time as the imposition of a planned consumption tax increase on April 1.

The prices will be increased in most cases by ¥10 or ¥20 a pack.

JT said the price increases reflected the tax rate increase in the weighted average price of the company’s products as a whole.

JT applied to change the list prices of 107 products, including cigarettes, snuff, pipe tobacco and cut tobacco products.