The government on July 31 injected ¥1 trillion into Tokyo Electric Power Co., virtually nationalizing the utility, which was teetering in the wake of the nuclear crisis at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Now that Tepco has avoided bankruptcy thanks to the injection of public money and received government approval to raise the prices of electricity for households, it must shed its bureaucratic mindset and its traditional corporate culture, characterized by arrogance toward consumers, and make its operations transparent.
In compensating nuclear disaster victims, Tepco should not delay the processing of compensation claims because of differences with them over minor points.