Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government plans to ease the impact of rising electricity prices on the public by awarding power-saving households points that can be used to help lower their utility bills.
At the first meeting of a government task force on rising prices ahead of a House of Councilors election next month, the prime minister pledged to protect people's lives and businesses by tackling soaring food and energy prices propelled by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Besides creating the reward points system to reduce the burden on households, Kishida said emergency measures worth ¥13 trillion ($96.3 billion), part of which are funded by the private sector, will be implemented swiftly to deal with the rising prices of wheat, fertilizer, livestock feed and energy.