Your electricity bill just jumped because the summer subsidy ended, and the government has now confirmed it is coming back. On October 29, 2026, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that household electricity and gas subsidies will resume for December through February, which she said should ease household burdens by about ¥7,000 over the three months. The per-unit rates are reported as ¥1.0 per kWh in December and ¥4.5 per kWh in January and February. Here is what that means for a typical bill, and which details are still unconfirmed.
📋 Quick Navigation: What was announced · Worked bill example · What is still unconfirmed · Cut your winter bill further · FAQ
🤝 Cold apartment, high bills, nobody to ask?
TIFE members swap real winter-survival tips every month, from heater choices to which providers are worth switching to. Come to an event and ask people who have lived it.
See TIFE Events →What was announced
- Period: December 2026 through February 2027, three months of support for household electricity and gas.
- Announced by: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, to reporters on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
- Electricity rate (as reported by Nippon.com): ¥1.0 per kWh for December and ¥4.5 per kWh for January and February.
- Government estimate: about ¥7,000 less burden per household across the three months.
- Gas rate: the per-cubic-meter figure was not included in the reports we could verify, so check your gas company’s notice.
The support is applied by your electricity and gas companies as a discount on the bill, so there is no application form for ordinary household contracts. That is how the earlier summer subsidy worked as well, and our guide to the November 2026 bill after the summer subsidy ended shows what you are paying without it today.
Worked bill example (illustration only)
Using the reported rates, here is the electricity-only discount for two household sizes. These are our own calculations, not official figures.
| Monthly usage | December (¥1.0/kWh) | January (¥4.5/kWh) | February (¥4.5/kWh) | Electricity total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 kWh (small apartment) | ¥200 | ¥900 | ¥900 | ¥2,000 |
| 300 kWh | ¥300 | ¥1,350 | ¥1,350 | ¥3,000 |
| 400 kWh (family, electric heating) | ¥400 | ¥1,800 | ¥1,800 | ¥4,000 |
The government’s ¥7,000 figure covers electricity and gas together for a typical household, so the electricity line alone will be lower than that. The real saving depends on how much you use, and January and February, when you run heating the most, get the bigger discount.
What is still unconfirmed
⚠️ Check your own bill before you budget
Reports agree on the December–February window and the ¥7,000 estimate, but the unit rates came from a single outlet we could verify, and the gas rate was not published in the sources we checked. Treat the example above as a planning guide and confirm against your electricity and gas company’s notice.
- Which bill shows it: subsidies are normally tied to the month of usage, and the bill arrives a month later, so the December discount will likely appear on the bill you receive in January. Confirm with your provider.
- Gas rate: not confirmed in the reports we could verify.
- After February: the government has not said what happens in March. Plan as if bills rise again in spring, as they did last April; see what happened when subsidies ended in April 2026.
💬 Compare notes with other Tokyo residents
TIFE members share bills, providers and money-saving tricks in our community chats. Join us and stop guessing.
Become a TIFE Member →Cut your winter bill further
- Heat the room, not the building: a heater or air conditioner in one room plus a door closed uses far less than whole-flat heating.
- Check your contract amperage and plan: a plan with a cheaper per-kWh tier may suit a winter-heavy household better.
- Replace an old air conditioner: a modern heat-pump unit uses a fraction of the power. Tokyo residents may get a big discount; see our guide to Tokyo’s other big-ticket subsidies and the Tokyo Zero Emission Points we cover this week.
- Watch pump prices too: the gasoline subsidy is being scaled back from December, which matters if you drive; read our gasoline price cap explainer.
Japan winter electricity subsidy FAQ
When does Japan’s winter electricity and gas subsidy start? December 2026, running through February 2027, as announced by Prime Minister Takaichi on October 29, 2026.
How much is the electricity subsidy per kWh? It is reported as ¥1.0 per kWh for December and ¥4.5 per kWh for January and February.
How much will a household save? The government estimates about ¥7,000 per household across the three months for electricity and gas combined.
Do foreign residents need to apply? No separate application has been announced; the subsidy is applied as a discount through your electricity and gas company.
Does the subsidy apply to gas bills too? Yes, household gas is included, but the per-cubic-meter rate was not confirmed in the sources we verified.
What happens after February 2027? The government has not announced anything beyond February, so assume bills may rise again from March.
Quick reference
- Announced: October 29, 2026
- Period: December 2026 – February 2027
- Electricity (reported): ¥1.0/kWh in December, ¥4.5/kWh in January–February
- Typical saving: about ¥7,000 per household over three months (electricity + gas)
- Related: November 2026 bill guide | Gasoline price cap 2026 | Moving to Japan — TIFE Community Hub
🇯🇵 Building a life in Japan?
Our Moving to Japan hub collects the housing, money, visa and tax guides long-term residents rely on.
Open the Moving to Japan Hub →Subscribe now and get news from us !
