The Tokyo metropolitan government on October 27 canceled ¥45.46 million in subsidies for electric vehicle charging equipment after finding improper applications, it announced. The applicant was a subsidiary of Miraiz Enechange, part of the Chubu Electric Power group.
The cancellation covers 25 grants decided for fiscal 2024 and 2025. Tokyo also rejected 14 applications still pending and said it will refuse any future applications from the company.
Miraiz says its applications were proper. The decision is not the first time its subsidy claims have drawn scrutiny.
Inflated purchases inside the group
The subsidies are meant to spread EV charging equipment. In the cases Tokyo examined, transactions within the corporate group inflated the purchase cost of chargers and other equipment, according to the Asahi Shimbun.
The national government has taken a different position. It has paid out ¥10.5 billion under its own EV charging subsidy program and has not revoked the grants.
Why Tokyo and the national government diverged is the question the case now turns on. The source does not give the national government's reasoning.
Chargers covered by the programs include units in the basement parking garage at Roppongi Hills in central Tokyo, where drivers pay through a dedicated app.