TOKYO, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan's ocean freight transportation service fees surged 74.2 percent in August compared with the previous year as the protracted Middle East conflict kept crude oil and shipping costs high, according to a preliminary report the Bank of Japan released on Monday.
The increase accelerated from a 67.4 percent rise in July.
The price index for the sector stood at a record high of 271.8 against the 2020 average of 100, according to the central bank.
Meanwhile, the overall services producer price index climbed 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 115.4, after a 3.6 percent gain in the previous month.
Of the 146 items surveyed, prices of 121 rose and eight fell. ■
