According to The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanese government has encouraged major electronics retailers and home appliance makers to voluntarily halt production and sales of incandescent bulbs to save power this summer.

The government plans to submit a written request under the names of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano and Environment Minister Goshi Hosono to an industry group, probably sometime this week. The industry side has indicated it will oblige.

It is extremely rare for the government to ask retailers and manufacturers to refrain voluntarily from selling and producing specific products.

The two ministers plan to send their request to Sho-ene Akari Forum (energy saving light forum), an industry group comprising major electronics retail stores and home appliance makers.

According to an estimate by the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, if all incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps were replaced by LED bulbs, the total annual power saved would be 9 percent, the equivalent output of 13 nuclear reactors.

Under the nation's current basic energy plan, all lighting products for sale will be replaced by LED or organic electroluminescence (EL) by 2020. As these types of lighting help reduce greenhouse gases, their promotion has been stipulated in the law to promote measures against global warming.