Regarding the problem that employees of a major electric power company illegally browsed the customer information of competitors through subsidiaries, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura said that there may be problems in the electric power system reform that the government has been promoting. He indicated that he would investigate the background and take measures to prevent recurrence.
This issue was addressed by employees of seven companies, Kansai Electric Power, Tohoku Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power, Chubu Electric Power, Chugoku Electric Power, and Okinawa Electric Power, through transmission and distribution subsidiaries, etc. In addition to illegally browsing, it has also been revealed that all 10 major electric power companies illegally accessed information on renewable energy power generators managed by the government through subsidiaries.
Regarding this, Minister Nishimura said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 3rd, "I recognize that it is extremely regrettable because it could raise doubts about the neutrality and reliability of the electric power industry. There may be issues in the foundation of electric power system reform, such as the maintenance of information systems and monitoring systems," he said, and indicated that he would take measures to prevent recurrence after investigating the background of the fraud.
In addition, on the 2nd, the Cabinet Office's expert panel announced a proposal that the capital relationship between the transmission and distribution subsidiary and the major electric power companies should be separated and made a completely separate company, and asked the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to consider. Currently, we are discussing measures to prevent a recurrence of the problem at a council of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.