Prices for pure fruit juice in Japan are increasing due to strong demand for biofuel and hurricanes in the U.S., according to industry officials.

Major Japan juice companies will raise their pure juice prices by about 10 percent from May, reports Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun.

Kirin-Tropicana Inc., Japan's largest juice producer, is going to increase its prices of fruit juice on May 22. It says a 1-liter pack of 100-percent fruit juice will cost a tax-exclusive 284 yen($2.39) ,up 24yen(20 cents) while a 500-milliliter pack will cost 143 yen($1.20) up 13 yen(10 cents).

Morinaga Milk Industry Co., a major dairy company, expects its prices of ingredients to continue to climb as well. In 2006, its prices rose 11 percent higher than in 2004, a company official said.

The price of pure orange juice will increase partly due to hurricane damage to orchards in Florida.

In addition, demand for automotive biofuel is increasing in the U.S. and Brazil, which are among the world's major citrus producers.

These countries are gradually shifting their production from citrus to sugarcane, which is used to make biofuel, according to officials. The side-effects are already occurring around the world, including Japan.

Japan Florida Hurricane