Japan: winter energy aid returns, with support for petrol phased down
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The policy presented on 29 October provides electricity and gas aid from December. For petrol, you must distinguish the reference price from the price shown at the pump.
In this article
The announcement
According to Jiji Press, Sanae Takaichi announced on 29 October the resumption of electricity and gas aid from December to February 2027. Support for petrol, meanwhile, is to be reduced gradually.
The petrol mechanism
The announcement provides for raising the reference price, currently ¥170 per litre, by ¥5 each month from December. It does not set an identical price at every station. Oil price movements must also be watched.
Aid tied to consumption
Jiji Press reports electricity aid of ¥1 per kilowatt-hour in December, then ¥4.5 in January and February. The relief depends on consumption. It is not an identical cash payment to every household.
Two useful notions
A subsidy covers part of a cost. A reference price serves as a benchmark for the scheme; it is not automatically the amount billed. To understand the effect on a budget, check consumption, the contract and tariff information.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
Elle ne fixe pas un prix identique dans toutes les stations.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
02Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon Jiji Press, Sanae Takaichi a annoncé le 29 octobre la reprise des aides à l’électricité et au gaz de décembre à février 2027.Key pointsSelon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.
03Expressing a plan or a deadline
être prévu / prévoir / être envisagé
La politique présentée le 29 octobre prévoit des aides à l’électricité et au gaz dès décembre.Key pointsPrévoir means “to plan, to expect”. Être prévu means “to be scheduled” and être envisagé means “to be under consideration”. In the news, read them separately from expressions that describe events that have already happened. They do not say that the event has already taken place.
04Purpose with pour
pour + infinitive
Pour comprendre l’effet sur un budget, vérifiez la consommation, le contrat et les informations tarifaires.Key pointsThis is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.
05The construction il s’agit de
il s’agit de + noun / infinitive
Il ne s’agit pas d’un versement identique en espèces à tous les ménages.Key pointsIt explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.
06The passé composé for events
present of avoir + past participle
Selon Jiji Press, Sanae Takaichi a annoncé le 29 octobre la reprise des aides à l’électricité et au gaz de décembre à février 2027.Key pointsIt reports past events, as in “announced” or “explained”. A / ont is the auxiliary avoir and the next word is the past participle. The passé composé alone does not tell you the date of the event.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
時事通信によると、高市早苗首相は29日、電気・ガス料金の支援を12月に再開し、2027年2月まで実施すると表明しました。Key pointsAs in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.
02Plan, outlook and policy
〜の予定 / 〜見込み / 〜方針
一方、ガソリンへの補助は段階的に縮小する方針です。Key points予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.
03Polite negation and plain form
〜ではありません / 〜ではない
これは店ごとの販売価格を一律に決める発表ではありません。Key pointsThey negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.
04Giving examples with など
noun / expression + など
原油価格の動きなども見るとしています。Key points“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.
05The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
時事通信によると、高市早苗首相は29日、電気・ガス料金の支援を12月に再開し、2027年2月まで実施すると表明しました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.
06Quoting with と: content and report
plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)
原油価格の動きなども見るとしています。Key pointsと takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.