Japanese gov't to use ¥989 bil in reserves to curb energy bills

Does that mean the government will pay my electricity bill, or at least half, or a quarter, or let's say 10%?

And how about gasoline, will the price drop by, well, 25%, or 15%, or 10%, or 5%.

Or does all that money go to those who already got it, like TEPCO, Yonden, Solato, Idemitsu, or whatever those companies are called?

I only want to know where my taxes end up, that's all, and maybe not asking for too much.

 allocate 989.15 billion yen in subsides to curb electricity and gas bills, mostly using up its reserve fund set aside to combat inflation.

JGovt solution, for many problem subsidies. Fighting inflation by adding more money in circulation that's really Japanese way.

in the fall, when people often travel by car.

Hmm. I would love to see the data on this.

I would have guessed that peak personal-car travel would have been during the New Year holiday, spring school-year break, Golden Week holiday, or summer school-year break — none of which occur during autumn.

Perhaps it’s the changing of the leaves that’s “driving” this car travel in autumn.

NHK Close Up Gendai did a special on insulating houses yesterday. It was actually pretty good and talked to a representative from PassivHaus Japan. It showed an older lady who had had a typical low quality Showa house insulated at the urging of her son, and she said it was life-transforming. She said she now expected to live a longer and healthier life. They said it was worth well over the two million yen after subsidies it cost them (cue people, some of whom have brand new cars, melodramatically claiming this sum is a fortune).

Nothing to complain about here. Monthly utility bills not going up is always a plus.

NHK Close Up Gendai did a special on insulating houses yesterday.

Can’t imagine who downvoted this contribution.

Modern insulation, allowing us to be comfortable year-round, has certainly had a positive impact on my life. No longer cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

I recall a Canadian acquaintance mentioning 30 years ago that he had never been as cold in Canada as he’d had in Japan.

I only want to know where my taxes end up, that's all, and maybe not asking for too much.

Agree!

It's our tax money and that's a LOT of it, so if they say it's to reduce our costs, I want to see where and how much I'm saving. For example, on my electric bill, show me the portion that's been deducted and paid for by the govt.

If there's no accountability, what's to stop it just disappearing, without us actually saving anything?

Where ddid this money come from originally? Was it collected as taxes (in which case it wouldn't be inflationary), or "borrowed" from the BOJ - effectively, printed, so inflationary at some point?

I've never felt so hot in Japan, despite working in refugee camps in Indian monsoon season.

I've never felt so cold in Japan, despite working on a farm in the high Arctic in Norway during winter.

Nothing to complain about here. Monthly utility bills not going up is always a plus.

This. People here can be so cynical at times. Me included.

Subsidies that assist those who need it most would be greatly appreciated. Sadly however I can them focusing the majority of it on those who make upgrades to their facilities, like solar power and battery generators first. Meaning that you have to have or spend money to get any assistance.

Social welfare is one thing, but subsidies here have a strong tendency to benefit those who need them the least. Look at the rice farmers.

As virtually all of it is imported how about fixing the pathetic value of the Yen that suppliers are now paying for it? Insulation is another very good point too.

Symptoms get treated in this country, not root causes.

Present Japanese Government just make more profit to energy corporations from taxpayers money on the pretext of helping citizen's life.

leaves lights on longer

It’s cool for corporations to enjoy weak yen to have cheap labour, and also to have discounted energy prices from the taxes paid by Japanese people too. Double profit.

Please excuse my ignorance, but how would that work? If Japanese companies are paying their employees in yen, where exactly does the foreign exchange rate come into play?

Well, most of the profits of JCorp like Toyota etc is from overseas trading which is in dollars.

"High-voltage contracts" used by business buildings and factories are exempt from the subsidies.

Yes, I am wrong here. But anyways it is a hidden expense for general population… to avoid the additional pressure on JCorp to increase wages.

This policy is also deception. No matter how huge subsidies Japanese energy companies received, they never reduce its equal amount from electric or gas bill.

Election coming after the LDP leadership vote. No way they want energy prices going ul.

Here in the UK the new labour government have cut the pensioners winter fuel payment, worth a minimum of 40,000 Yen and it's like they will cancel a 10 yen reduction in petrol and diesel tax and raise the tax by another 10 Yen a litre. Meanwhile they've been rewarding civil servants and the union friends inflation busting pay rises.

The fuel companies never fully passed on the 10 yen reduction just getting greater profits just like Japanese companies apparently.

So this money is going directly to companies pockets. The same companies showing record profits? Or will it dispersed to people.

o this money is going directly to companies pockets. (...) Or will it dispersed to people.

Initial statement;

Uhm ... neither? The government will pay a part of your power and gas bill.

Response;

Take a moment and reread the post you were replying to, and then your response.

Neither? Lol! "The government will pay a part of your power and gas bill" and just who does that payment go to? Geez, both, not neither, "directly to the companies pockets".

So if it's going to neither, and it's not going to you, and it's not going to the companies in payment for the "power and gas bill", just where, pray tell, is the money going?

As a tourist, I sure am happy the governments making things cheaper for me. Where did this money come from? It's the later generations pensions that are being used to make this generations lives better. I won't be around when the bill comes due.

 So, while technically you are right, the money eventually goes both to the companies in payment, 

Nothing "technically" about it. I am actually 100% correct. Not "eventually" either, more than likely directly.

 and to us because it's money we don't have to pay ...

Nothing is going to you. Your bills will be lowered that's all, you will not physically or otherwise, see any of the actual money.

Just because you dont have to pay anything, does not mean you are getting any money, just like medical insurance here. You pay 30% of the total, and the government or insurance pays 70%, you dont see a penny of the 70% but the money was paid to the hospital or where ever in your name.

I hope you can see and understand the difference. You wont see any money from the subsidies as that money will go to the companies and they will lower the rates they typically charge, for as long as the subsidies hold out or are paid to them.

Again you wont see any cash.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-08-30/japan-dominates-the-global-lng-market-and-rakes-in-billions-big-take

make me rich, I own stocks in Eneos and Osaka gas...

or support nukes. Either way, energy is essential.