Japan Tobacco (JT) received permission from the Finance Ministry to increase the domestic price of its Mevius premium brand and a half-dozen discount brands from 1 April, the cigarette maker said.

An increase of JPY 10 to JPY 440 (EUR 3.51) for a 20-pack was approved for all 35 Mevius variants. The price for the Wakaba, Echo, Uruma, Violet, Shinsei discount brands was raised JPY 30. A JPY 50 increase was approved for Golden Bat, which at JPY 260 sells for JPY 20-30 less than the other discount brands.
The tax on discount cigarettes will be raised JPY 1 per cigarette on 1 April. Additional increases in excise duty are scheduled through 1 April, 2019. JT has said it expects to raise the price of what used to be called third-class cigarettes each time the duty is increased.