The nation's gross power demand edged down in 2001 for the first drop since comparative data became available in 1994, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday.
Aggregate power demand slipped 0.4 percent to 970.29 billion kwh, METI said in a preliminary report.
The ministry attributed the downturn to reduced demand from industrial users amid the lingering economic slump. Demand from large-lot users dropped 1.9 percent to 398.91 billion kwh.
Demand for electric light, mainly from households, inched up 0.9 percent to 255.21 billion kwh, it said.
In January, power demand fell 1.3 percent from a year earlier to 84.77 billion kwh for the fifth consecutive monthly decline.