Originally Posted by dvs7310

It's a lot deeper than that. A lot of things fly here that would never in the rest of the developed world. Average Japanese consumers (and businesses in your case since you're looking at F fares) will pay a lot more than most other people find reasonable for many things. Japan has been a market where more expensive has meant that they perceived higher quality. Although there has been some general deflation, prices on nearly anything are high, airfare included. Long haul fares are often half ex-PEK than ex-NRT,HND, so time allowing, I personally will buy a discount fare to PEK and go from there.

When it comes to other travel related expenses here, hotels are another great example. This is the only country I can recall in recent times that charges the same room per person rather than per room. You travel alone it's $100/night for example, but you travel with a companion then the same exact double room is $200/night. But since their target market, domestic consumers, will not question things and take their business elsewhere then it's an antiquated system that will likely never change.

Basically when you look at prices like this in Japan, they do it because they can.