Japan gasoline prices fall further after tax expiry

TOKYO, April 4 (Reuters) - Japan's retail regular gasoline prices have dropped further, after a provisional gasoline tax expired on March 31, a research body said on Friday.

The average pump price of regular gasoline in Japan was 134.3 yen ($1.31) per litre ($4.96 a U.S. gallon) on Thursday, down 7.9 yen from April 1, the day after the gasoline tax expired, data from the Oil Information Center showed.

The agency, which normally releases data once a week, released the ad hoc survey to take into account the expiry of a three-decade-old "temporary" gasoline tax earmarked for road construction.

Following is a table of average retail prices in Japan for regular gasoline, high-octane gasoline and diesel oil (yen per litre, with kerosene in yen per 18 litres):

DATE High-octane Regular Diesel Kerosene

Apr 3 NA 134.3 119.1 NA

Apr 1 NA 142.2 121.8 NA

Mar 31 163.8 152.9 132.3 1,742

Mar 24 163.8 152.9 132.3 1,742