Accepted Sept 11, 2026 — the grid tariff behind your electricity bill is changing
On September 11, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) accepted filings from eight general electricity transmission and distribution operators to change their "wheeling service provisions" (takuso kyokyu to yakkan). These provisions set the fee and the rules for using the power grid. Retail electricity companies pay this wheeling fee to the grid operator, and the cost is built into the price of the electricity that households and shops ultimately pay — so it shapes your bill even though you never sign a contract with the grid operator directly. Grid operators cannot set the fee freely: it must be calculated on the basis of a revenue outlook approved by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. This time, the operators used the revenue outlook approved on September 4, 2026 under Article 17-2, Paragraph 4 of the Electricity Business Act (Act No. 170 of 1964), revised their wheeling fees under Article 18, Paragraph 4, and filed the revision under Article 18, Paragraph 5. The eight filers are Hokkaido Electric Power Network, Tohoku Electric Power Network, TEPCO Power Grid, Chubu Electric Power Grid, Kansai Transmission & Distribution, Shikoku Electric Power Transmission & Distribution, Kyushu Electric Power Transmission & Distribution, and Okinawa Electric Power. The new rate levels and the date they take effect are contained in each company's filing documents (PDF); the announcement page itself does not state any figures.
For foreign residents in Japan, your electricity contract is with a retail electricity company — you rarely deal with the grid operators that made these filings. Even so, the wheeling fee is embedded in the retail price, so this change affects the basis of your monthly bill. One practical risk: notices about rate revisions usually arrive in Japanese only. If you overlook the paper meter slip or the notice on your online account page, you may keep paying without knowing why the amount moved. Also note that in Japan, moving house can change your power area, and with it the whole basis of your rate — check before you move whether your new address falls in one of these eight areas. If you rent a place where electricity is bundled into common fees, or you stay at hotels and minpaku, the change still reaches you indirectly through the operator's costs.
Japan's MAFF set the government selling price of imported wheat for the October 2026 term at ¥70,020 per ton, a 12.0% increase. Here is what changed, how the twice-a-year system works, and what it means for your food budget.
Japan's Digital Agency is seeking public comments on draft amendments to the My Number order and the technical standards for individual number cards. Submit through e-Gov in Japanese between 31 August and 30 September 2026; foreign residents may also comment.
Japan's Digital Agency says a VPN-based intrusion into its Government Solution Service may have exposed about 246,000 records of ministry staff and contractors. No My Number or bank data was involved, but phishing risk is real.
Source:
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) website — Filings to change wheeling service provisions accepted from eight general transmission and distribution operatorsThis article was edited and written by freegent Inc. based on the source above.