A series of fee hikes in October is expected to strain family budgets and dampen consumer spending over a prolonged period at a time when many people are taking pay cuts or hunting for jobs.

Increases in the form of fuel surcharges for air travel, higher health insurance premiums and utility charges, for example, are certain to challenge the government of new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama as it attempts to pull the economy out of its worst recession since the war.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will reinstate their unpopular fuel surcharges for international flights in October to reflect climbing oil prices. This will take the form of a ¥7,000 charge for one-way flights between Japan and North America, and between Japan and Europe, and double that for round-trip flights.

Premiums charged by corporate health insurance plans are shared evenly between employer and employee but will rise to 15.704 percent from 15.35 percent.

Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Okinawa Electric Power Co. meanwhile plan to hike rates for power and gas in October. This means utility charges will climb by ¥9 to ¥34 a month, depending on the utility, for a family of four.

Consumers, on the other hand, will be eligible for more generous public benefits. The childbirth subsidy is set to rise by ¥40,000 to ¥420,000. Most prefectural governments are raising the minimum wage. And a new program is being readied to provide a maximum of six months of housing benefits for people who have lost their jobs and homes within the past two years.

Legislation aimed at reining in excessive competition in the taxi business is expected to bring some relief to cab drivers whose incomes have suffered in the wake of deregulation.