Estimate of regional market structure of Japanese public utility industry

关于日本监管改革的争论通常是基于西方国家的经验或研究。虽然尚不清楚它们是否适用于日本的市场结构，但几乎没有对日本天然气行业进行分析的研究。价格弹性是表征市场结构的重要参数之一。本研究估算了各地区的天然气需求价格弹性，并将燃气行业与类似公用事业的电力行业进行了比较。

The arguments on the regulatory reform in Japan are usually based on the experience or the researches in Western countries. Although it is unknown whether they are applicable to the market structure of Japan, there is almost no research which analyzed Japan's gas industry. Price elasticity is one of the most important parameters that characterize the market structure. This research estimates the gas demand price elasticity for each region, and compares the gas industry with the power industry which is similar public utilities.