In an effort to prevent a recurrence of the problem of employees of a major electric power company illegally viewing customer information of competitors through a subsidiary, the Cabinet Office's panel of experts has decided to strengthen penalties and make the subsidiary a completely separate company. published a proposal calling for
The problem that employees of major electric power companies illegally browsed customer information of competitors called "new electric power" through transmission and distribution subsidiaries has so far been ▽ Kansai Electric Power, ▽ Tohoku Electric Power, ▽ Kyushu Electric Power Shikoku Electric Power, ▽ Chubu Electric Power, ▽ Chugoku Electric Power, and ▽ Okinawa Electric Power have been discovered.
With the liberalization of the electricity retail market, it is legally prohibited for major electric power companies and transmission and distribution subsidiaries to share customer information of new electric power companies. published a proposal for
In this, we point out that "this is a serious situation that could undermine fair competition," and call on the government to take strict action against electric power companies.
Furthermore, as measures to prevent recurrence, further structural reforms should be considered, such as strengthening penalties and separating the capital relationship between the transmission and distribution subsidiary and the major electric power company into a completely separate company.
The Cabinet Office will ask the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to consider whether this proposal can be included in the government's "Regulatory Reform Implementation Plan" to be formulated this summer.