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May 03, 2026
 

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UTILITIES

Japan has cut dependence on the Middle East for its liquefied natural gas in recent years, but utilities remain exposed to the cost of importing fuel.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2026
Japanese utilities withhold earnings guidance amid fuel volatility
The war in the Middle East has driven a 70% increase in LNG prices in Asia, while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings is facing significant financial challenges stemming from the triple meltdown at its tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2026
Chief of government-backed JIC could become next Tepco chairman
If the appointment is approved, the 74-year-old will become the fifth chairman in a row picked from outside the major power company.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings resumed commercial operations of reactor No. 6 at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Tepco resumes commercial operations at Niigata plant for first time in 14 years
The restart of reactor No. 6 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant comes roughly 50 days later than scheduled.
If the timeline for constructing an anti-terrorism facility is eased, the No. 6 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture is expected to see their deadline delayed to April 2031 from September 2029.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2026
Japan eases timeline for creating nuclear plant anti-terrorism facilities
Out of the 12 reactors across the nation for which anti-terrorism facilities have been completed, only one met the deadline.
Some utilities, for instance, tout that the utility costs will be cheaper under their plan without accounting for a variable fuel adjustment charge.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2026
Utility contract complaints persist nearly a decade after deregulation
Consumer officials are urging caution as complaints over electricity and gas contracts remain almost 10 years since Japan opened its utility markets.
Water utilities will be required to conduct PFAS tests every three months in principle under new tap water quality standards that will take effect next month.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2026
Japan to mandate inspections for PFAS in water from April
The Environment Ministry aims to assess PFAS concentrations in water supplies nationwide.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi speaks at a news conference to explain its quarterly earnings in Nagoya earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 24, 2026
Chubu Electric eyes stake in Indian renewable company Continuum
The Japanese power developer is nearing a deal to buy about $150 million to $200 million of new shares in Continuum at a valuation of over $1 billion.
Tohoku Electric President Kazuhiro Ishiyama (center) and other executives bow in apology during a meeting with officials of Aomori Prefectural Government on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2026
Tohoku Electric submits improvement plan after improper tests at nuclear plant
Irregularities at the plant were due to lack of awareness of the importance of work to protect nuclear materials and insufficient involvement by senior officials, the firm said.
Japan Gas Association leader Takashi Uchida speaks during an interview in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Jan. 15.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2026
Japan Gas Association leader says it's hard to give up Russian LNG
Securing alternative suppliers will not be easy since Russian LNG has an "economic advantage," says Takashi Uchida.
Nine regional power utilities announced Thursday that average household electricity bills will rise in February, due to higher liquefied natural gas costs and reduced government subsidies.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2026
Nine of 91²Ö¿â 10 regional power utilities to raise bills in February
Kansai Electric Power is the only utility not to raise its bills.
The No. 6 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings expects to return to profitability in the next fiscal year on the assumption that the reactor is restarted.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2026
Tepco to make cost cuts of ?3.1 trillion over 10 years under new business plan
The cost cuts will be achieved through business streamlining, reduced investment and asset sales.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi (center) bows in apology during his meeting with Masaru Shimomura, mayor of Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 15, 2026
Chubu Electric chief apologizes to mayor over nuclear plant data fraud
It was the first time for Chubu Electric's president to offer an apology to the Hamaoka plant host municipality in Shizuoka Prefecture since the scandal came to light.
Under the new business reconstruction program, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings aims to improve its profitability as huge costs are expected for compensation to victims of the March 2011 nuclear accident at its tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 power plant and for decommissioning reactors at the plant.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 11, 2026
Tepco submits new business reconstruction plan
The new plan includes a policy to promote preparations for the decommissioning of the nuclear plant, such as securing human resources.
Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka (left) attends a regular commissioner meeting on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
Japan stops Chubu Electric's nuclear review due to flawed seismic data
The country's nuclear watchdog said it was halting the screening needed to restart Chubu Electric Power's only nuclear power ?plant.
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi (left) and other company executives bow in apology on Monday in Nagoya after disclosing that the company might have cherry-picked earthquake data for the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture for submission to a nuclear watchdog.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
Cherry-picked quake data might have been submitted for Hamaoka nuclear plant
Chubu Electric Power President Kingo Hayashi says the data could have caused a review of safety standards at the Shizuoka plant to be based on weaker quake projections.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai. China¡¯s on track for another year of record mine output.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 10, 2025
Energy demand boom keeps Asia tethered to coal
Concerns over energy security and costs are trumping the climate agenda in the region¡¯s high-growth, high-polluting economies.
Osaka Gas President Masataka Fujiwara speaks during an interview on Dec. 2 in Osaka.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 9, 2025
Osaka Gas to focus more on LNG supply to vessels, president says
The company's President Masataka Fujiwara said more vessels are expected to use liquefied natural gas for fuel, instead of fuel oil and gas oil, to try to reduce carbon emissions.
Tomoaki Kobayakawa, president of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (front), explains about its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant during a meeting with Niigata prefectural assembly members in October.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 25, 2025
Business uncertainty to stay at Tepco even with possible nuclear plant restart
Uncertainty persists over whether the struggling power supplier, which serves Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures, can secure earnings stability.
Kansai Electric Power will not make a decision on construction based on the results of the survey alone and will take into account profitability and the Nuclear Regulation Authority's regulatory policy, the company's President Nozomu Mori said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 3, 2025
Kansai Electric will soon begin survey for new nuclear reactor, sources say
The survey will mark the first concrete move toward nuclear reactor construction in Japan since the 2011 meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 plant.
Jera's Hekinan thermal power station in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture. Jera gets about 2 million metric tons of LNG per year from Russia's Sakhalin-2.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2025
Japanese utilities say they can replace Sakhalin-2 if supply interrupted
The United States this month urged Japan, along with other Russian energy buyers, to stop imports as it pushes the Kremlin towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Yen soars as Japan intervenes after issuing 'final' warning
Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board showing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Japan secures enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a government meeting on the Middle East on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
Japan mum on yen intervention, heavy on jawboning, ahead of long holiday weekend
The yen was back in ?150-to-the-dollar territory after reports of intervention by the Japanese government.
Foreign business owners in Japan feeling the strain of tighter visa criteria
The streets of Ikuno Korea Town in the city of Osaka in December 2023
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan's famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country's outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about 'the stories behind the stitching'
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
Documentary captures the long echo of Fukushima's nuclear disaster
Toru Yamada¡¯s documentary ¡°At the Triangle Intersection,¡± which delves into the lingering impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, follows Tetsu (center), the matriarch of the Watanabe family, her son, Takemasa (right) and her daughter-in-law, Shigeko.
Japanese fried chicken with a Southern twist
A buttermilk-inspired marinade gives a rich umami flavor to your fried chicken.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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