Research On Japan 's Electric Power System Reform

The electricity system is closely related to people’s daily life. Governments have attached great importance to the development of it. Nowadays, Japanese government has launched a new round of electricity reform, which will be completed in 2020. The organization for cross-regional coordination of transmission operators is set up, and the retail market competition will be more fiercely and the major power companies will be separated legally. As there are several similarities with China’s electricity system reform, the study of Japan’s reform will provide some useful reference for China.Through the review of the process of previous reforms and the analysis of policies in this round of reform, structure–conduct–performance paradigm is used to find the possibilities for improvement of policies and mechanisms. And a prediction of this round of reform is given base on that. Last but not least, some useful suggestions to China are made from the summary of Japan’s experience.According to the conclusion, the major power companies ought to keep their market controlling after separation, in order to prevent the occurrence of accidents. PPS will not obtain a large market share in next ten years, and they should be more regulated for the users getting a stable supply. It is important to pay attention to the construction of power grid and development of information technology, in order to avoid the “reverse flow” problems and others.