As snow fell in Tokyo and the temperature dropped sharply to four degrees Celsius , Tokyo Electric Power Co"At this rate, we are coming closer to a state where we will have to conduct power outages similar to those that took place after the quake ," said Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda.At a hastily called news conference, Hagiuda called for an additional 5% or so of power savings every hour from 3 to 8 p.m., equivalent to about 2 million kilowatts per hour.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno earlier called on residents in eastern Japan impacted by the power crisis to save energy. He added that the request to save energy was unlikely to extend beyond Tuesday given the expected rise in temperatures and the addition of more solar power generation as the weather improves.