FILE PHOTO: Evacuees are seen at a gymnasium of elementary school, acting as an evacuation shelter, during blackout after an earthquake hit the area in Sapporo, Hokkaido, northern Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 6, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is racing to secure power supplies ahead of winter after a devastating quake left 41 people dead and damaged generating stations on the northern island of Hokkaido, where temperatures regularly drop well below zero in colder months.
Although the government has eased an initial 20 percent power-savings target for residential and business customers on the island of 5.3 million, Japan's trade and industry minister Hiroshige Seko has said power supplies on Hokkaido will remain tight and unspecified savings are still needed.
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