"Tokyo to Waive Basic Water Meter Fees"
Exemption Period to Last About Four Months
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to waive the basic water meter fees for ordinary households for four months this summer in order to prevent heatstroke.
According to Japanese media outlets such as Kyodo News on May 20, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has finalized a plan to make the basic water meter fees?ranging from 860 to 1,460 yen per month (approximately 8,300 to 14,000 won)?free of charge for about 8 million households in the city.
Citizens are escaping the heat in Osaka, Japan, where the Expo is being held. Photo by UPI Yonhap News
The basic fee, which is charged even if no water is used, will be exempted, but the metered usage fee, which is based on actual consumption, will remain in place. The exemption period is expected to last about four months. The budget for this measure is estimated to be around 40 billion yen (approximately 385 billion won).
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government decided to waive the water fees to encourage the use of air conditioners during the summer by reducing the burden of household living expenses. In Tokyo, where extreme heat recurs every year, there has been an increase in cases of people developing heatstroke after refraining from using air conditioners.
The summer heat in Japan is often described as deadly. From June to September last year, 7,993 people in Tokyo were transported to emergency rooms with heatstroke symptoms, marking the highest number ever recorded. Of these, 340 people died. The Tokyo Fire Department reported that over 60% of the deceased had not used air conditioning.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to submit a supplementary budget bill, including the related expenses, at the regular assembly meeting next month. According to a Tokyo official, it is unusual for a metropolitan or prefectural government to waive basic water meter fees on such a wide scale.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike stated, "I am concerned that people may refrain from using air conditioners out of worry for their living expenses," and added, "We want to create an environment where all Tokyo residents can live peacefully during the extremely hot weather expected this summer."
Meanwhile, midday temperatures in central Tokyo have already exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. Not only Tokyo but also other areas such as Fukushima have seen temperatures above 30 degrees, and some regions in Gifu Prefecture have reached 35 degrees, which is typical of midsummer in July. As a result, several local governments have issued alerts urging residents to be cautious of heatstroke.
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