PEOPLE in Japan may have to throw out their household appliances and buy new
ones if the government agrees to proposals to raise the voltage of the
country’s electrical power grid.
Japan and North Korea are the only countries still using 100 volts as
standard. But Japanese power companies represented by the Electrical Technology
Research Association, and appliance manufacturers represented by the Japan
Electrical Manufacturers’ Association, say the 100-volt grid is outdated and
inefficient. The two organisations have issued separate reports recommending an
upgrade to around 200 volts within the next 15 years.
At the moment, electricity is transmitted along…
