Choosing a New-Power (Shin-Denryoku) Retailer

When you switch your electricity retailer in Japan, you keep the same wires and meter while changing only who bills you and at what unit prices.¹² The saving is real for many households, but it depends on area, usage, and the fine print of the rate plan.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy site.

Overview

Japan fully liberalized low-voltage retail electricity on April 1, 2016, so households and small shops can choose among registered retailers and price menus.¹ Before that date, each region bought only from its monopoly supplier such as Tokyo Electric Power Company or Kansai Electric Power Company.¹

Customers who take no action stay with their current regional supplier on the same terms as before.¹ Retailers that sell electricity must register with the national government, and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy maintains the registered list.¹

Who this guide is for

This guide is for residents who hold an electricity contract in their own name and pay their own bill, in any visa status.³ Renters qualify when the contract names them; when another person holds the contract, confirm with that person first.³

Residents in buildings where the management association holds a building-wide power contract may be unable to switch individually.³ Check building rules with the management association before applying.³ This guide describes systems and patterns only and does not endorse or rank specific retailers.

How the Market Works After 2016

The 新電力 (shin-denryoku, "new-power retailer") is a retail electricity provider registered after liberalization, distinct from the former regional monopoly.¹ The 小売電気事業者 (kouri denki jigyou-sha, "registered retail electricity provider") is the formal registration category.¹ The 低圧 (teiatsu, "low voltage") category covers homes and small shops liberalized in 2016.¹

Incumbents, retailers, and the grid operator

The supply chain has three sectors: generation, transmission and distribution, and retail.² Liberalization opened only the retail sector to free entry; the other two keep their existing structure.²

The 一般送配電事業者 (ippanouden haiden jigyou-sha, "general transmission and distribution operator") is the licensed regional grid operator that owns the wires.² Delivery uses the same network of distribution lines as before, so quality and blackout risk are the same regardless of retailer.²

If a retailer cannot procure enough power, the transmission operator makes up the difference so supply continues without immediate interruption.² If a contracted retailer goes bankrupt, supply does not stop immediately; the regional supplier continues service until the customer finds a new provider.³

Same wires carry every retailer's power

Switching does not require a new power line or rewiring, because every retailer delivers over the same transmission network.³ A meter exchange to a smart meter is the only physical change some homes still need.⁴

Where your bill goes: basic fee, usage tiers, adjustments

A standard residential bill combines a 基本料金 (kihon ryokin, "basic fee") set by contract amperage, a 電力量料金 (denryokuryou ryokin, "usage charge") billed per kWh in tiers, plus a 燃料費調整額 (nenryou-hi chousei-gaku, "fuel cost adjustment") and a 再生可能エネルギー発電促進賦課金 (saisei-kanou enerugii hatsuden sokushin fukakin, "renewable energy surcharge").⁵⁶⁷

TEPCO Energy Partner Standard S in Kanto uses three usage tiers, with higher unit prices in higher blocks (as of 2026-09 page fetch; confirm current figures with TEPCO Energy Partner).⁵ The renewable energy surcharge applied from May 2026 is 4.18 yen per kWh including tax (as of 2026-03-19).⁸ Fuel cost adjustment moves monthly with import prices for crude oil, LNG, and coal under trade statistics (as of 2026-09).⁵⁷

Item	Amount	As of	Notes
Basic fee, per 10A	311.75 yen (30A is 935.25 yen)	2026-09	Tax incl., TEPCO Standard S Kanto5
Usage tier 1, to 120 kWh	29.80 yen per kWh	2026-09	Tax incl.5
Usage tier 2, 121 to 300 kWh	36.40 yen per kWh	2026-09	Tax incl.5
Usage tier 3, over 300 kWh	40.49 yen per kWh	2026-09	Tax incl.5
Renewable energy surcharge	4.18 yen per kWh	2026-03-19	Tax incl., all voltages8
Fuel and market adjustments	Varies monthly	2026-09	Added to or subtracted from usage charge7

The table above reflects published page values at the stated dates; confirm current figures with each retailer before comparing. TEPCO notes its free-menu plans carry no cap on the fuel adjustment variable while regulated-menu plans carry a cap, so free plans can run higher when fuel prices surge.⁵ Some retailers add a 市場価格調整単価 (shijou kakaku chousei tanka, "market price adjustment") tied to wholesale exchange prices instead of or on top of a plain fuel adjustment.⁷

Retailer Types and Bundled Services

Liberalization was expected to produce bundled discounts with gas and mobile service, reward point services, energy-saving diagnosis, time-of-day menus, renewable-focused menus, and local-production menus.⁹ That expectation matches what retailers actually publish: combinations of electricity with gas, mobile, points, or card benefits, each with its own conditions.

Retailer savings illustrations commonly exclude the fuel adjustment and renewable surcharge from the headline saving (as of 2026-01; confirm current figures with each retailer).¹⁰ Headline comparisons also rest on the retailer's own model assumptions, for example a 40A contract with set monthly kWh per household size.¹⁰

Ecosystem points and mobile bundle pattern

One pattern links electricity use to ecosystem points usable across group services. Rakuten Energy structures its offer around points earned and usable on electricity and gas, plus campaign points for combined sign-up.¹¹ The value of this pattern depends on how much of the linked ecosystem the household already uses.

Another pattern links electricity to a mobile contract, the pattern the content plan names for SoftBank Denki and au Denki style bundles. au Denki publishes standard tiered tables by area plus separate all-electric and storage-battery menus, which shows the pattern is plan for plan rather than a single discount.¹² SoftBank Denki publishes separate price tables by grid area and notes its Tohoku Ouchi Denki stopped accepting new applications on October 23, 2024 (as of 2026-09).¹³

Gas, gasoline, and lifestyle bundle pattern

ENEOS Denki publishes a V plan for general households plus separate all-electric, EV night, self-consumption, and motive-power menus by area.¹⁰ Its card-linked pattern ties payment by an affiliated card to gasoline and utility discounts, alongside a point-accrual pattern where only one of the card or point options is selectable.¹⁰

Its electricity plus city-gas set gives qualifying customers in the TEPCO grid plus Tokyo Gas or Keiyo Gas areas 100 yen tax incl. off the electricity bill monthly (as of 2026-09).¹⁰ ENEOS warns that depending on use and contract terms the customer may not save and that headline savings exclude fuel adjustment and surcharge.¹⁰ It also warns that with no cap on its fuel variable, its bill can exceed a regulated plan when fuel prices surge.¹⁰

Match the bundle to services you already use

A gas, mobile, points, or card discount only pays when the linked service fits your household anyway.¹⁰¹¹ Price the electricity table first, then treat the bundle as a possible addition.

Rakuten Gas new switching is limited to Tokyo Gas, Toho Gas, and Kansai Gas areas, with move-in gas limited to the Tokyo Gas area.¹¹ Gas bundling is therefore area gated, not universal.

Savings Range and What Moves It

A working range of about 5 to 15 percent savings versus the incumbent rate is a planning assumption that varies by region, usage pattern, and time of day (as of 2026-09; confirm current figures with each retailer, since practitioner sources describe savings in this band but figures are inconsistently reported and each excludes fuel and surcharge).¹⁰¹⁴ Retailer illustrations are model cases, not guarantees; ENEOS states its figures are reference estimates under its own assumptions and may not produce savings depending on use and contract.¹⁰

A 2022 English-language simulation of Tokyo plans showed lighter users saving less in absolute yen than heavy users on the same menu set (as of 2022-02-15; dated tariff set, shown for variance shape only).¹⁴ A liberalization-era retailer example cited savings of over 8,000 yen per year for an average household when bundling gas (as of 2022-02-15; retailer claim as reported in English-language press, shown for bundle shape only).¹⁴

Driver	What to compare	Why the saving moves
Grid area	Incumbent baseline vs retailer table for that area	Baselines and menus are area specific5131210
Monthly kWh and tier fit	Tier 1 vs tier 2 vs tier 3 unit prices	Higher blocks cost more per kWh512
Time of day	Flat vs day-night split	Night-shifted use favors night menus1312
Fixed fee	Basic or minimum fee step	Oversized amperage raises fixed cost512
Adjustments outside headline	Fuel plus market plus surcharge	Headlines often exclude these variables1078
Bundle conditions	Points, mobile, gas, and card terms	Each discount is conditional on the linked service1110

Region, usage, and time of day drivers

Rates and eligible menus differ by grid area; TEPCO, SoftBank, au, and ENEOS each publish separate tables per area.^5131210 Tiered structures charge higher unit prices for higher blocks, so the same retailer can save for a heavy user and cost more for a light user, or the reverse on flat or minimum-fee menus.⁵¹²

Time-of-day menus charge different unit prices by time band such as daytime, morning-evening, and night.¹³¹² Households that shift use at night face a different outcome than daytime-heavy households. Contract amperage or capacity sets the basic fee step, so a larger contract than needed raises the fixed portion regardless of use.⁵¹²

Switching Procedure

Apply to the new retailer at its counter, by phone, or on its homepage.⁴ With customer agreement, the new retailer performs the termination with the current regional supplier.⁴ Before applying, obtain and consider documents explaining rates, contract period, termination, and other conditions.⁴

The flow below shows who does what in a same-address switch.

Standard switching time is about two weeks when a smart-meter install is needed, or about four days when no meter change is needed.⁴ The exact changeover date varies by contract and should be confirmed with the new retailer. Tokyo-targeted professional guidance describes the same practical flow: choose a provider, submit details online or by phone, the new provider cancels the old contract, and no outage occurs during changeover.¹⁵

What you need from your current bill

Expected items are the current supplier name, the current お客様番号 (o-kyaku-sama bangou, "Customer Number"), the 22-digit 供給地点特定番号 (kyoukyuu chiten tokutei bangou, "supply point identifier"), also shown as supply point ID or 地点番号, plus the requested change date.⁴¹⁵ Identity verification is also expected so the new company can check past use through the transmission company.⁴

The Customer Number and supply point ID appear on the 検針票 (kenshinhyou, "meter slip"), the website notice, direct mail, or receipt issued on meter-reading dates.⁴ When the slip is missing, contact the current supplier directly.⁴ Tokyo-targeted guidance confirms the last three items sit on the electricity bill and that the supply point ID is optional on some forms.¹⁵

Check the current contract period before applying

Some contracts carry a fixed period with a cancellation fee for early termination.¹⁵ Confirm the end date and termination terms first, since switching before the period ends can trigger the fee.⁴¹⁵

Who handles what and when it takes effect

The new retailer handles the switch with the incumbent and the grid operator.⁴¹⁵ The customer does not need to contact the old supplier separately for a same-address switch.¹⁵

When no smart meter is installed, one is installed after application.⁴ The current regional supplier notifies the planned date.⁴ In principle the customer does not pay for the meter itself, though related work may carry a fee and a brief outage of about 15 minutes can occur during replacement.⁴

Supply under the new contract starts on the confirmed changeover date, commonly aligned to the next meter reading.⁴ Retailer flows describe online status checks with customer-page billing after start.¹⁰¹¹

A move to a new address is handled as a new activation at that address, not as a same-address switch; closing the old address still requires a separate request.¹¹ Switching is generally reversible by applying to another retailer, subject to any contract period or cancellation fee on the current deal.⁴¹⁵

Good to know

Campaign-month totals hide the second-year price

Campaign discounts tied to the first months or first year can expire. ENEOS runs dated campaigns with eligibility conditions, including a September 1 to November 4, 2026 switch campaign (as of 2026-09).¹⁰ Rakuten notes that leaving before meeting starter-benefit conditions forfeits the benefit.¹¹ Compare the post-campaign unit prices, not only the campaign-month total, and read the contract period and termination terms the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy tells applicants to obtain before applying.⁴

A menu that saves for heavy users can cost more for light users

Tiered menus rise with use while some menus use flat or minimum-fee shapes, so a menu that saves for a 400 to 500 kWh household can cost more for a 200 kWh household under the same brand.⁵¹²¹⁰ Match contract amperage, tier thresholds, and time bands to actual past kWh from prior bills before choosing.⁵¹²

The lights stay on through the switch

Supply continues over the same wires during and after the switch.² The grid operator covers any procurement shortfall, and the regional supplier covers bankruptcy gaps.²³ Do not delay a justified switch over fear of disconnection. Check for a cancellation fee tied to the current contract period before moving.¹⁵⁴

Some mansions cannot switch unit by unit

Where a management association holds a building-wide supply contract, individual choice may be limited by that contract or building rules.³ Confirm with the management association or building manager before applying.³ Renters whose own contract is in their own name are otherwise eligible.³

See also

• Move-Out Procedures: Closing Utility Accounts
• How Renting Works in Japan
• Electricity in Japan: TEPCO and New-Power Retailers
• Gas in Japan: City Gas vs. Propane and the Safety Inspection
• Internet and TV: Utility Setup Overview

References

Footnotes

1. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI). What does liberalization of the electricity market mean. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/electricity_and_gas/electric/electricity_liberalization/what/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI). System of electrical power supply. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/electricity_and_gas/electric/electricity_liberalization/supply/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

3. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI). 5 questions about liberalization that consumers may be afraid to ask. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/electricity_and_gas/electric/electricity_liberalization/faq/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

4. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI). How can I switch my provider. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/electricity_and_gas/electric/electricity_liberalization/step/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸

5. TEPCO Energy Partner. Standard plan Kanto rate table. https://www.tepco.co.jp/ep/private/plan/standard/kanto/index-j.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

6. TEPCO Energy Partner. Juryo-dento B and C conventional plan table. https://www4.tepco.co.jp/ep/private/plan/old01.html ↩

7. Ennet. Fuel cost and market price adjustment explainer and May 2026 notice. https://www.ennet.co.jp/price/2026/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. Hokuriku Electric Power, citing METI decision 2026-03-19. Renewable energy surcharge FY2026 notice. https://release.itmedia.co.jp/release/sj/2026/03/19/2193cfd2976ea3029a9b669b9df30a87.html ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (METI). What changes will result from liberalization. https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/electricity_and_gas/electric/electricity_liberalization/merit/ ↩

10. ENEOS Power. ENEOS Denki official top, plans and simulation notes. https://www.eneos-power.co.jp/denki/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

11. Rakuten Energy (Rakuten Mobile). Rakuten Denki and Gas top, application and cancellation flow. https://energy.rakuten.co.jp/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

12. au Energy and Life. au Denki ecoM plan Tokyo table. https://www.au.com/energy/denki/audenchi/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

13. SoftBank. Denki price tables by area. https://www.softbank.jp/energy/prices/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

14. TokyoCheapo. Which Japanese Electric Company is Cheapest, 2022-02-15. https://tokyocheapo.com/living/changing-tokyo-energy-company/ ↩ ↩² ↩³

15. Plaza Homes. How to Change Electricity Providers in Tokyo, 2025-06-20. https://www.realestate-tokyo.com/living-in-tokyo/daily-living/switching-electricity-providers/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹