Consumers and businesses are feeling the pinch as egg prices in Tokyo hit a record high. Growing costs for chicken feed and the spread of bird flu in Japan are to blame.

An industry group says the wholesale price of a kilogram of medium-sized eggs hit 335 yen, or about 2 dollars and 50 cents.

The figure is nearly double the average price from a year ago.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a weaker yen have made corn and other feed more expensive.
Egg shipments have also dropped as a large number of chickens have been culled due to bird flu.

NHK interviewed shoppers at a supermarket in central Tokyo about egg prices.

A female customer who has two kids said that she uses eggs not just as a main item but also to make other things, such as deep-fried foods. She added that if they get too expensive, it would be a problem.

A male customer said that eggs are more expensive than they used to be, so these days he buys them less than before.

A pastry shop in Tokyo is considering raising prices for its sweets. The store gets about 80 kilograms of eggs for baking every week this time of year.

The owner of the shop, Morishita Reiji, said that he has to use eggs, so he has no choice but to buy them regardless of price.

The shop already hiked prices for some products last autumn.

The owner says he doesn't want to raise prices again because customers would buy even less than they do now. But he said he needs to make up for the higher costs.