Dozens of hotels and ryokan in Shizuoka Prefecture have decided to scrap their automatic payment contracts with Tokyo Electric Power Co. to protest sharp increases in utility charges.
Dozens of hotels and ryokan in Shizuoka Prefecture have decided to scrap their automatic payment contracts with Tokyo Electric Power Co. to protest sharp increases in utility charges.
The Shizuoka Prefecture ryokan hotel association, which has 509 members, met April 3 to consider TEPCO’s average 17-percent rate increase for businesses that took effect April 1.
Association members operating east of the Fujikawa river, a TEPCO service area, decided to terminate the contract en masse and announced their decision April 7.
The association said many members objected to accepting the increase without protest.
"The rate increase directly hits our business. I cannot tolerate it as I don't see TEPCO itself making any effort," said an association member who operates a Japanese-style ryokan hotel.
TEPCO will offer further explanations to seek understanding for the increase, said an official at the utility's Numazu branch.
The hotel association said it is up to each member to decide whether to pay the higher bills.
TEPCO raised its rates to help it pay for damage caused by the disaster at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.