The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks plans to install about 1 million smart meters between FY2025 and FY2028, after a pilot of about 130,000 in FY2022 to FY2024. Its Management Plan 2026, published on 30 March 2026, aims to give every household a smart meter in the 2030s.
Where the meters go
The four-year plan sets out the split: 460,000 meters in new housing, 210,000 at hard-to-read sites, 320,000 at metropolitan facilities and 6,000 at schools and parks. The Bureau also plans to buy about 100,000 integrated or simplified meters a year to bring unit costs down.
How the Bureau buys
Communication units for the meters are bought in numbered lots, tendered by general competitive bidding against a published specification. Lot 7 of smart meter communication units was announced on 7 January 2026, with bids due on 24 February 2026. A trial purchase of integrated 20 mm smart meters, lot 1, opened its bids on 17 July 2025. A study of how to use smart meter data was tendered by public-offer competitive bidding in June and July 2025.
Why it matters
The Bureau serves 13,928,448 people, and smart meters are one of its answers to a shrinking working-age population. Every lot is a separate opening, but suppliers first need competitive bidding eligibility on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's electronic procurement system.
Which other projects are open, emerging or already awarded, who holds major work and where to focus first are set out in the full brief. The full report, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks: Utility Account Brief, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks Utility Snapshot.