The east of the country is likely to face substantial shortages after the massive quake hit on Friday, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda said at a news conference.
The region is covered by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) and Tohoku Electric Power.
In Tepco`s case, its service region will be divided into five blocks and each area will have rolling blackouts for three hours a day by rotation, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said.
Such scheduled blackouts are expected to continue for several weeks, Tetsuhiro Hosono, chief of the agency, told a press conference.
He added Tepco was expected to be about 25 percent short of its normal power supply for the time of year.
For Tohoku-Electric Power Co., which covers the northern region of Japan`s main island, the scale of its expected power shortage would depend on how quickly the region and its industries can be rebuilt.
The immediate prospects for Japan`s atomic power industry are a key concern following a radioactive leak and explosion at a plant on Saturday.
The Japanese nuclear industry provides around 30 percent of Japan`s power needs.
In total, 11 of the roughly 50 nuclear reactors in Japan, located in the worst affected areas, shut down following the earthquake.
(KR-PPT/F001)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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