The Yokohama city education board announced that Ekoda Elementary School would cancel lunch and classes on two days in January as higher oil prices led to food cost increases. Meal costs for the school up to October already surpassed initial estimates by nearly 10%.
The schools prepare their own lunches and receive about $35.00 a month from the students and the schools cannot increase the charge.
This will be the first recorded incident where a school is going to be closed due to rising oil prices and a government official is quoted as calling it “unusual nationwide”.