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During this extended holiday period, many people may have spent some time at a resort or hometown for the first time in a long time and indulged in a little luxury. Under these circumstances, the record depreciation of the yen has a direct impact on household finances. Experts note that “price increases will occur for almost all products.” This is a supermarket located in the Miyagino area of Sendai City. Reporter: “This supermarket sells foreign products, mainly fruits, and they are about 10% more expensive than last year.” According to the Miyagi Cooperative, the purchasing price of imported meat, fruits, vegetables, etc. has increased. has been gradually increasing since last year. Compared to June last year, prices have increased by about 10-20%. This Golden Week marks the first time in three years that there are no restrictions on movement due to the new coronavirus. Consumers… Mother of four: “I had a lot of fun eating and drinking during Golden Week, so I think I should cut back on my spending a little, but if I give up everything expensive, the dinner table will get lonely. What should I do about this? Family of 6 people. “I feel like it’s expensive, I’m just worried that my income won’t increase, so I need to figure out how to control my expenses.” One of the factors driving up prices is the “weak yen.” In April, the dollar at one point topped 131 yen, marking the first “weak yen/strong dollar level” in about 20 years. Experts note that the impact on household finances is inevitable. Tsunetomo Taguchi, Senior Researcher, 77, R&C: “Consumers are price sensitive. With wages rising slowly, they are extremely sensitive to price increases and are becoming more frugal, making it difficult for companies to raise prices if the situation continues. will be difficult, the situation will be extremely difficult as companies will be forced to gradually pass on costs to prices. The burden on companies will become too great and the impact is likely to last for a long time.” Low prices are expected to continue for more than a year. In addition, Japan relies on imports for most of its energy and raw materials. Against this background, experts predict that companies will increase prices on more products in the future. Tsunetomo Taguchi, Senior Researcher, 77, R&C: “Even if products are produced domestically, the feed and feed to grow them are imported, so there are very few products that are completely self-sufficient. There are various ways to distribute products. but in the medium to long term, import costs will rebound and prices will rise for almost all products.”