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July 06, 2025
 

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UTILITIES

The government plans to spend ¥288.1 billion from its fiscal 2025 budget reserves for electricity and gas subsidies, which will help lower energy bills next month.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025
Household electricity bills in Japan set to fall in July due to subsidies
The nation's 10 major electricity suppliers said Friday that power bills for standard households will fall by between ¥520 and ¥691 in July from the previous month.
Tokyo Gas is in talks with at least four U.S. liquefied natural gas suppliers to secure a purchase deal, according to sources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2025
Tokyo gas in talks to seal long-term U.S. LNG purchase deals
Japan’s largest gas distributor is in talks with at least four companies over supply from projects dotting the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to sources.
Power supply shortages may occur even if nuclear power reactors and aging thermal power plants are rebuilt, an industry organization warns.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025
Japan's power demand may grow by up to 40% by 2050
A report warned that supply shortages may occur even if nuclear power reactors and aging thermal power plants are rebuilt.
Marubeni will jointly hold Senoko with Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2025
Marubeni boosts power role in Singapore by raising Senoko stake
Following the acquisition, Marubeni will jointly hold Senoko with Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings will cut July electricity bills for standard households by ¥616 from the previous month to ¥8,236.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2025
Tepco to cut household electricity bills in July
Nine other major power suppliers and four major city gas providers are also likely to considerably reduce their rates.
After the appellate court ruling in the shareholders' lawsuit over the Tepco Fukushima No.1 nuclear accident, plaintiffs hold up signs reading "Unjust Ruling" on Friday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 6, 2025
High court overturns ruling against ex-Tepco executives
The count found the executives were unable to predict the tsunami that triggered the triple reactor meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Tugboats assist a liquified natural gas tanker as it docks at a port in Yantai, China, in February. In 2021, China became the largest importer of LNG, and as of this year, China now has the most long-term LNG contracts.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jun 1, 2025
China is eroding Japan's LNG dominance. How does that affect Japanese buyers?
Japanese companies have long held the leading position in the buying and trading of one of the world's key energy sources, but that era of hegemony has come to an end.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is looking to make the cost of base service fees in water utility bills free during the summer, hoping the financial support will allow residents to turn on their air conditioners and protect themselves against heatstroke.
JAPAN / Society
May 20, 2025
Tokyo to cover cost of base service fees for water utilities through summer
By lowering utility fees, the metropolitan government hopes to give residents a sense of security that they can accommodate other necessary expenses.
When Jera co-fired ammonia at its Hekinan coal plant in Aichi Prefecture last year, it reduced emissions by 20%.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2025
Japan embraces lab-made fuels despite costs and climate concerns
Japanese utilities say e-methane is chemically almost identical to natural gas but is effectively carbon-neutral.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said fees for average households that use 260 kilowatt-hours of power per month will increase by ¥436 from March to ¥9,031 next month.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2025
Japan household electricity bills to rise in April
Fees for the average household will go up by between ¥385 and ¥465 in April, due mainly to the end of government subsidies to curb inflation.
Chubu Electric Power removed the top lid of the No. 2 reactor at its Hamaoka plant Monday, marking the first time in Japan that the dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor has begun.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2025
Dismantling of reactor begins at Hamaoka nuclear plant
The dismantling process is the third stage of the decommissioning project at the plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Japan aims to accelerate offshore wind development as part of its decarbonization strategy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 24, 2024
Japan selects two groups for third offshore wind power round
The country aims to accelerate offshore wind development as part of its decarbonization strategy.
A liquefied natural gas plant operated by Sakhalin Energy in Sakhalin, Russia. Japan, the world's second biggest LNG buyer, depends on Russia for 9% of its LNG.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2024
Rival supplies and depleting fields give Japan an exit from Russian gas
Japan, the world's second-biggest liquefied natural gas buyer, depends on Russia for 9% of its LNG.
Surging development costs, supply chain issues and higher inflation have heavily weighed on the offshore wind sector in recent years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 9, 2024
BP and JERA to combine offshore wind operations in joint venture
The 50-50 venture, called JERA Nex BP, will include operating assets and development projects with a potential generation capacity of 13 gigawatts.
Tokyo Gas’ LNG terminal in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 20, 2024
Tokyo Gas shares jump most since 1987 after activist fund discloses major stake
Elliott Investment Management said it now owns more than 5% of Tokyo Gas and may make "important proposals” to the utility provider.
Shares in retailers may rise after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba formed a minority government that may cut taxes to lure cooperation from opposition parties.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
Minority government in Japan can help retail stocks and utilities
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may cut taxes to keep smaller parties on side — increasing workers’ disposable income.
The Goi thermal power station in Chiba Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Oct 18, 2024
Japanese youth sue utilities over climate impact
The plaintiffs, all in their teens and 20s, say it is the first such case brought by young people in Japan.
The units under construction at Jera's liquefied natural gas fired power plant inside the company's Anegasaki Thurmal Power Station in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, in June 2022
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2024
Japan and South Korea to expand initiative to cut methane emissions
Methane's greenhouse effect is believed to be more than 20 times that of carbon dioxide. Leaks of methane from gas fields are a major issue that need to be dealt with.
Jera's liquefied natural gas fired power plant inside the company's Anegasaki Thurmal Power Station in Ichihara, Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2024
Japan firms unite to cut methane emissions from LNG supply
Twenty-two firms are joining an initiative that aims to leverage their buying power to curb methane emissions from liquefied natural gas supply chains.
For a billionaire with a mission to prevent climate change, “He greened the energy policy of the world’s fourth-biggest economy (Japan),” would make a hell of an epitaph for Mike Cannon-Brookes. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2024
An activist investor could green Japan for $700 million
For a billionaire with a mission to prevent climate change, "Greened the energy policy of the world’s fourth-biggest economy” would make a hell of an epitaph.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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