Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that a new economic package being prepared will seek to lower utility bills next year for households hit by accelerating inflation, targeting electricity and gas.
Kishida, whose public support has been faltering, expressed his intention to draw up a package later this month.
Surging energy prices have been a headache for resource-poor Japan, which relies on imports to meet its domestic needs. The yen's rapid decline against the U.S. dollar, already at its lowest in 32 years, has exacerbated the pain for consumers because it inflates import costs.