The country’s 10 major electricity suppliers have said that monthly bills for average households will go up by between ¥385 and ¥465 in April, due mainly to the end of government subsidies to curb inflation.
Government subsidies covered ¥1.3 per kilowatt-hour in March, but will not be provided next month, the firms said Friday.
In addition, the surcharge aimed at promoting renewable energy will be raised to ¥3.98 per kilowatt-hour starting next month, up ¥0.49 from the fiscal year through this month.
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. Kansai Electric Power plans a hike of ¥465 to ¥7,791.
Kyushu Electric Power, which assumes that standard households use 250 kilowatt-hours per month, will raise its fees by ¥448 to ¥7,671.
City gas bills will go up at all four major suppliers including Tokyo Gas in April, rising at average households by between ¥106 and ¥141.
Subsidies for electricity and gas bills began in January 2023 as a temporary measure to reduce household burdens in the wake of soaring fuel costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The program was suspended and resumed several times before returning for January-March amid wintertime demand for heating.
The government has spent some ¥4 trillion on the measure so far.