Japan calls for 15% power savings in western region

Businesses and consumers in western Japan were urged by the government to save 15 percent of power this summer due to the closure of all nuclear reactors.

The government said it aimed to avoid rolling blackouts in the region but would need to be prepared just in case.

It did not impose mandatory limits like it did to eastern Japan last year.

The potential power shortages could undermine a recovery Japan's economy and hasten manufacturers' moves to
shift factories overseas to avoid high production costs and an uncertain electricity supply.

Japan's power companies have been struggling to secure stable power supplies because of widespread anti-nuclear sentiment.

Kansai Electric Power, based in Osaka, western Japan, has projected a 14.9 percent shortfall in August, the
worst among the nine utilities that have nuclear plants,a government panel concluded on Saturday.

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