Food, utilities, social insurance — all going up at once
April 2026 brings multiple simultaneous price increases. Electricity (record renewable surcharge), gas (subsidy ended), food (200+ items), social insurance premiums, and landline phone charges are all increasing.
Health insurance and pension premium rates revised. SME employees particularly affected. Long-term care insurance also up for those 40+.
NTT East/West raising landline basic fees. Monthly base charges for subscriber phones revised.
From May 2026 meter reading, the renewable energy surcharge rises from ¥3.98 to ¥4.18/kWh. ~¥52/month more for 260kWh usage. Winter heating costs increase further. Electricity bills have been rising continuously since 2024.
Energy subsidy ended with March 2026 usage. ¥3,000+/month increase from April. Renewable surcharge hits record ¥3.98/kWh.
Effective April 1, 2026. Online mobile contract ID verification is unified under Public Personal Authentication (JPKI) via My Number Card. Those without one must sign up in person.