Gas stations started boosting petrol prices on Tuesday after petroleum distributors increased wholesale prices for July, increasing the cost of regular gas to over 180 yen per liter at some stations in Tokyo.

The increase, sparked by surging crude oil prices, has raised the possibility that the national average for gasoline prices will break past 180 yen per liter for the first time since 1987.

At one Idemitsu Kosan-managed gas station in Tokyo's Ota-ku, the price of regular gasoline was raised to 182 yen per liter shortly after 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The station's move came after the wholesale price increased by about 9 yen in the space of a month.

"The 180 yen mark is one passing point, and we are eying a price of 200 yen per liter this year. The money-saving desire among customers is getting stronger each day," a station official said.

Japan's Oil Information Center said that that the national average retail price of regular gasoline stood at 172 yen per liter as of June 23.

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