The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Thursday it is planning to submit bills aimed at amending electricity and gas laws.
The bills are designed to deregulate these markets and expand alternatives for users in line with a recommendation compiled in December by the Council for Regulatory Reform, METI officials said.
METI plans to submit the bills to a Cabinet meeting Friday and hopes they will be enacted during the current Diet session, the officials said.
Among the laws that the bills would alter is the Electric Utility Law.
Under the planned amendments, existing transmission networks for electricity and gas would be designated as infrastructures for public use. This would allow various suppliers, including new entrants to the relevant sectors, to use the facilities in a fair manner.