Japan Plans to Spend 1 Trillion Yen on Energy Efficiency, Nikkei Reports

Japan plans to secure about 1 trillion yen ($12.3 billion) in the April supplementary budget to implement measures to bolster energy efficiency to ease post- quake power shortages, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The trade ministry may allocate about 100 billion yen to extend the eco-points program, which encourages consumers to buy more energy-efficient goods, in the greater Tokyo and northern areas, Nikkei reported, without saying where it got the information. The government may also invest as much as 400 billion yen to subsidize installation of solar power systems, it said.