University In Tokyo Feels Impact Of Weak Yen
Higher electricity rates and a weaker yen are forcing a university in Tokyo to cut services on its campus.
Tokyo Denki University's campus in the capital has about 7,000 students. Officials say its electricity bills for this fiscal year are expected to reach more than 2.1 million dollars. That's nearly double the average, as costs of fuel used at power plants have risen, mainly due to the weaker Japanese currency.
To lower power bills, the officials say they are closing seven student computer rooms, except for during classes.
Two of the school's 10 escalators have been stopped, and one- to two-thirds of corridor lights turned off.
The cost of purchasing journals from overseas has also risen sharply. The officials say they're considering ending subscriptions to eight of the journals, and possibly more if the weak yen continues.
Sato Ryu, a senior official of the university, said laboratory equipment and computers use a lot of power. He said the officials are calling on students and teachers to make efforts to save electricity. Sato also said as long as the yen stays weak, the impact will last. He added that the university has no choice but to do its utmost to curb the impact.