Due to fears of water shortages, the Kanto region including Tokyo will reduce intake from the Tone River system by 10 percent starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the infrastructure ministry and local governments said.
All six prefectures in the region — Tokyo, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama and Chiba — will limit their intake from the system.
The restriction is not expected to affect the water supply for household, agricultural and commercial use because the prefectures can still tap other sources.
A similar restriction was put in place last September. The last time the measure was needed in the month of July was 1994, the ministry said.