Basic water utility charges will be waived for households in Tokyo for four months this summer, as the metropolitan government hopes offsetting water costs will encourage residents not to hold back on using their air conditioning to stay cool amid increasingly extreme heat.
A supplementary budget bill that includes 36.8 billion yen to cover the costs will be submitted to a Tokyo metropolitan assembly session in June.
"Real wages continue to be on the decline due to surging prices and given the predictions of an extremely hot summer, we want to protect Tokyo residents' lives and daily living," Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike told reporters.
About 8.2 million households are expected to benefit from the plan, according to the metropolitan government. Basic water charges in Tokyo generally vary from 860 yen to 1,460 yen, depending on the diameter of the household's water pipe.
Households using a water pipe of 2 centimeters in diameter, the most common type, are expected to be able to save about 5,000 yen from their water bills over the four months, Tokyo officials said.
Metered water usage to be paid on top of the base fee will be charged as usual.
Tokyo has been experiencing scorching summer heat in recent years due to climate change and has seen an increasing number of people being taken to hospitals -- and even deaths -- due to heatstroke.
© KYODO
19 Comments
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kurisupisu
How about planting more trees in Tokyo instead of laying more concrete?
factchecker
More water to be wasted by people watering roads
diagonalslip
I don't understand the logic of this. at all!
sakurasuki
This is Japan, in Japan is more preferably to make temporary or something like solution than the actual solution.
diagonalslip
kurisupisuToday 06:54 am JST
sakurasuki
Many things in Japan will make foreigner to scratch their had, water bill discount during summer just can't be comparable with electricity bill during summer. Just compare summer bill with spring season bill, how much the different.
Ah_so
Because Japanese people love nature, but they love concrete more.
ABC
How about trees / greenery? It'd be easy enough to require all new builds / roads to have a certain amount of greenery / trees (and not the ones that never grow tall or are mercilessly cut back). Tokyo could be transformed in a matter of years. Instead measures like this??? All politicians / town planners should be required to stand on a street with no shade for 1 hour in the August heat and then on one with trees / measures to combat the heat island effect, and then maybe there will be meaningful change.
ifd66
I find it difficult to see the connection between the two. does anyone choose equate using less water with a decision to use AC or not?
wallace
A small gesture, but the AC part of the summer power monthly bill is more than ¥5,000. The retired will benefit the most. There are millions would don't need the basic charge waiver.
Joseph Zammit
How about start wearing summer clothes and stop wearing masks. lol
HopeSpringsEternal
Let's not forget it is a very good idea to take frequent cold showers in the summer, great way to naturally cool down after being outside or even just in general. Ditto for kids if you have them!
grund
A nice gesture I suppose to help people financially, but saving roughly 1200 yen per month is not much compared to the electricity bills in summer.
hooktrunk2
Japan has a huge elderly population with fixed incomes. Since one can't live without water, they would presumably skimp on the AC to pay for the water utility and then possibly succumb to heat stroke. Of course by encouraging people to use their AC's it contributes to the heat problem. A vicious circle. Hopefully there will be less heat deaths at least.
I think some people are just stubborn and refuse to use their AC's, though. A former student of mine was like that.
grc
I love the ingratitude splashed all over these comments. Are the writers Brits?
masterblaster
What about measures to stop the utility companies charging outrageous fees? The saved money from water bills won't compare to the money spent for using the air conditioner.
Chico3
Great for Tokyo but more plants and especially trees would help to cover and cool people. I hope other cities in Japan do the same.
IMadeAnAccountJustForThis
I don't think the comments are about lack of gratitude. I think it's more about trying to see the connection.
I'm not a brit and this policy is a bit of head scratcher. If they want to encourage people to cool with air con (short term solution) then they should subsidise electricity, not water bills.
Sushiwood
Save your water bill for a lead poisoning shower few times a day.