Tokyo, June 7 (Represenative) The Japanese government on Tuesday issued the first nationwide appeal since 2015 to voluntarily conserve energy from July 1 – September 30 as consumption and bills are expected to soar amid short supply. The Japanese government held a special meeting discussing energy insecurity for the first time in five years, anticipating a hotter than average summer and a severe shortage of energy during winter. “We appeal to residents and companies to assist us in measures to save electricity by setting air conditioners at 28 degrees (Celsius, 82 degrees Fahrenheit) and turning off the light where it is not necessary,” Economy Minister Koichi Hagiuda said at the meeting.Saving electricity is especially important between 5 pm and 8 pm, he added.
On Monday, Japanese media reported that the country may face electricity shortages during the winter of 2022-2023 in a volume necessary to supply about 1.1 million households, with the possible energy crisis’s scale equivalent to consequences of the 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku. The Japanese government is concerned over possible electricity outages in the coming winter, with the energy shortages set to be the most severe since 2012, when the operation of the country’s nuclear power plants was paused following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. For a stable energy supply of the metropolitan area, including Tokyo and neighboring prefectures, a safety factor of 3 per cent is necessary, while, according to forecasts, in the event of a cold winter it may account for negative 0.6 per cent.The Bank of Japan said that wholesale prices in the country in April increased by 10 per cent year-on-year, the highest rise since 1981, as costs of energy and raw materials continued to grow amid the Ukraine crisis and the fall of national currency yen.