Supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. began a nationwide six-day bargain sale of vegetables Wednesday amid rising prices stemming from tight supply due to unfavorable weather.
Ito-Yokado said it has set prices of 16 items 15 to 65 percent lower than Monday's prices at its 156 outlets nationwide. A cabbage is priced at ¥97, down about 50 percent, and an onion at ¥17, down 65 percent.
Rival chains Aeon Co. and Daiei Inc. are slated to follow suit from Thursday with respective three- and four-day campaigns.
Vegetable prices have risen across the board since early July, with the average price of lettuce 94 percent higher than in a usual year and green peppers 66 percent higher as of Saturday on the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo.
The shortage stems from a cool, cloudy late June and the current scorching heat.