Sealed letter (postage)
Average retail price
Retail price survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. This is a survey average, not a shop price — actual prices vary by store. 総務省統計局 小売物価統計調査 · Surveyed items and specifications
Key facts
Sealed letter (postage) costs ¥110 per item in Japan as of August 2026 — the official nationwide price, flat from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for sealed letter (postage) reads 117.0 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, flat year on year and up 17.0% over five years.
Sealed letter (postage) sits in the transport & communication group of Japan's CPI basket, with 560 monthly observations from January 1980 to August 2026. The series peaked at 117.0 in October 2024 and bottomed at 59.5 in January 1980; the latest reading is 0.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +19.9%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 97.6 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2016 | 97.6 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.6 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2018 | 97.6 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.2 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.8% | 12 |
| 2021 | 100.0 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2022 | 100.0 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2023 | 100.0 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2024 | 104.3 | +4.3% | 12 |
| 2025 | 117.0 | +12.2% | 12 |
| 2026 | 117.0 | 0.0% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥110 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥110 |
| 2026-06 | ¥110 |
| 2026-05 | ¥110 |
| 2026-04 | ¥110 |
| 2026-03 | ¥110 |
| 2026-02 | ¥110 |
| 2026-01 | ¥110 |
| 2025-12 | ¥110 |
| 2025-11 | ¥110 |
| 2025-10 | ¥110 |
| 2025-09 | ¥110 |
| 2025-08 | ¥110 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does sealed letter (postage) cost in Japan?
- ¥110 per item, as of August 2026 — the official nationwide price in the government's retail price survey.
- How much have sealed letter (postage) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, 0.0% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have sealed letter (postage) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +17.0% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 117.0.
- When were sealed letter (postage) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 117.0 in October 2024. The latest reading is 0.0% against that peak.
- What is the difference between the index and the yen price?
- This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局 消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).