Electricity and Gas to the Company, Water to City Hall: Who to Contact When You Move In and Out

When you rent a room in Japan and move in, electricity, gas, and water may not automatically be usable just because you’ve received the key. You apply to three separate places: electricity to an electric power company, gas to a gas company, and water to the water-supply division of the city, town, or ward you live in (such as a waterworks bureau). When you move out or leave the country, you contact the same three places to stop service.

Below is based on the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working, Japanese-language 8th edition, February 2026) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission, and the Waterworks Act, as of September 2026. This article does not cover which company is best to contract with.

Three Places to Apply

Electricity: Choose a Company and Apply

According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, electricity retailing was fully liberalized starting April 1, 2016, and households became free to choose their electric power company and rate plan. The agency explains that even if you switch companies, your electricity still arrives through the existing transmission and distribution grid, so no new power lines are laid, and how prone you are to outages does not change.

The steps for starting service laid out in the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) are: decide the start date, apply to an electric power company online or by phone, and turn on the breaker switch on that day. It also notes that, depending on the contract terms and the equipment at your home, someone from the electric power company may need to visit, in which case the company will notify you.

The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy’s FAQ states that a contract with a retail electricity provider is required even to use electricity temporarily in a vacant room. You can switch electric power companies in a rental unit too, as long as the contract is in your own name. If an entire apartment building buys its electricity in bulk, that contract or the building’s management rules may restrict switching, so the FAQ advises checking with the management association or similar body.

What to Check Before You Contract

The same FAQ recommends checking whether the company you’re contracting with is registered under the Electricity Business Act (the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy publishes a list), and reading the supply conditions the provider sets out in writing. The points it lists for checking are as follows.

• The provider’s company name and contact information
• When the electricity supply starts, and the contract term (from when to when)
• What the monthly charge is, and how it’s calculated
• If there’s a discount, its amount and duration
• Any restrictions or cancellation fee for terminating partway through the contract term

The agency also notes that some rate plans carry a cancellation fee. If you plan to return to your home country, it’s reassuring to check the terms for canceling partway through beforehand.

Gas: Which Appliances You Can Use Depends on the Gas Type

The 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) explains that household gas comes in different types with different compositions and burning characteristics, such as city gas (e.g., "13A") and LP gas (propane gas). Using an appliance not matched to the gas type can cause a fire or incomplete combustion, which is dangerous. Before using a stove or other appliance brought from Ukraine or a previous home, check the type of gas used at that residence.

To start service, decide the start date and apply online or by phone to the gas company for your area. According to the same guidebook, on the start date someone from the gas company comes to inspect the equipment, starts the gas supply, and shows you how to use your appliances. The schedule is set for a day you can be home.

If you smell gas, the same guidebook says to stop using gas immediately, open a window to ventilate, not use any flame such as a lighter, not touch any electrical switch, and contact the gas company right away.

Water: Apply to Your City, Town, or Ward

Article 6 of the Waterworks Act provides that, in principle, a municipality operates the waterworks business. The 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) likewise advises that, to start using water for the first time, you apply in advance to the water-supply division or water utility of the city, town, or ward where the user lives, and to ask that city, town, or ward for the detailed procedure.

Water charges are set individually by each city, town, or ward’s water utility. The billed amount combines a "base charge," set by your meter’s size, with a "usage charge" based on how much you used.

How to Pay

According to the same guidebook, electricity and gas charges can be paid by automatic bank withdrawal, at a convenience store or bank, by credit card, and other methods. Water differs by utility, but is generally paid by account transfer or at a bank or convenience store. How to open a bank account is covered in our article on opening a bank account in Japan.

Stopping Service When You Move or Leave the Country

For electricity and gas, decide the date service ends and apply to cancel with each company online or by phone. According to the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA), generally no one needs to be present on the day electricity is stopped (you may be asked to be present if, for example, the meter cannot be checked from outside). For gas, a worker shuts off the meter, and if they cannot reach the meter, you or a representative must be present. It also notes that giving the "customer number" shown on the monthly usage notice from the gas company speeds up the process.

The same guidebook also asks that, to avoid trouble with the next occupant, you always allow enough time before canceling when you move out. Check, when you apply to cancel, how the charges up to the last meter reading will be paid — whether the automatic withdrawal continues, or a bill will be sent. If you’re leaving Japan, you also need to file a moving-out notification with your city, town, or ward (see our article on the terms that come up in Japan’s resident registration).

When You Have Trouble With Sales Approaches or a Contract

As a place to consult when you have trouble with an electric power company’s or gas company’s sales approach or contract, the 生活・就労ガイドブック (Guidebook on Living and Working) from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) points to the consultation desk of the Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission, part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The phone number is 03-3501-5725, open weekdays from 9:30 to 18:15 (excluding weekends, public holidays, and the New Year holidays). This desk does not mediate or arbitrate; for the details of your own contract or an itemized bill, you contact the company you’re contracted with.

This desk does not handle inquiries about propane gas (LP gas) or solar power generation. The commission’s page gives METI’s main phone number (03-3501-1511, 9:30–18:00) as the contact for those. Guidance at both of these desks is in Japanese. For places to turn to when procedures in Japanese are difficult, see our article on where to ask first when you start living in Japan. For the process of renting a room, see our article on renting a room in Japan.