This past week, Japan has been struggling through a heat wave caused by high air pressure in the atmosphere above Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Concerns have been raised about power shortages and other serious issues.
Japan has had an 8-day long streak of soaring temperatures of over 95 degrees. This streak has happened only once since 1875 when record keeping began. Truly ridiculous temperatures have been recorded in some cities, like Isesaki, in Gunma Prefecture, which crossed the 104-degree line and almost broke a national record set 2 years ago.
A number of people have died and fallen ill with heat exhaustion and strokes. According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, around 4,500 people who were diagnosed with heat stroke and exhaustion have been hospitalized, which is about four times the population of people, who were hospitalized with these same symptoms and wellness stability at this time last year and two years before that. Most of these people were senior citizens who were more vulnerable to the boiling temperatures and make up a major portion of Japan’s adult population.
Japanese authorities are doing everything in their power to help Japan’s residents and economy get through this heat wave. They have been dealing out heat alerts every day and advising people to stay indoors as much as possible. The use of face masks has been reduced as breathing can become much harder while wearing a face mask.
Due to the wide use of AC, power companies have warned that the grid is under extreme strain, and shortages could be frequent. No outages have been recorded, yet many companies and offices have conserved electricity and AC. The absence of power outages and shortages has been surprising since Japan relies mainly on Russian natural gas, which has become very expensive since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Nuclear power plants have been shut down for the most part since the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima in 2011.
The heat wave is expected to ease up this week; in the meantime, people are finding ways to cope with the scorching temperatures. People have been seen to be lounging at beaches and pools all day or spending the whole day indoors. Some people have been going about their regular lives, but this is strongly advised against. Authorities have said that your life could be in danger and to not tough out the heat but to take “every measure to protect your life.”
Japan has had an 8-day long streak of soaring temperatures of over 95 degrees. This streak has happened only once since 1875 when record keeping began. Truly ridiculous temperatures have been recorded in some cities, like Isesaki, in Gunma Prefecture, which crossed the 104-degree line and almost broke a national record set 2 years ago.
A number of people have died and fallen ill with heat exhaustion and strokes. According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, around 4,500 people who were diagnosed with heat stroke and exhaustion have been hospitalized, which is about four times the population of people, who were hospitalized with these same symptoms and wellness stability at this time last year and two years before that. Most of these people were senior citizens who were more vulnerable to the boiling temperatures and make up a major portion of Japan’s adult population.
Japanese authorities are doing everything in their power to help Japan’s residents and economy get through this heat wave. They have been dealing out heat alerts every day and advising people to stay indoors as much as possible. The use of face masks has been reduced as breathing can become much harder while wearing a face mask.
Due to the wide use of AC, power companies have warned that the grid is under extreme strain, and shortages could be frequent. No outages have been recorded, yet many companies and offices have conserved electricity and AC. The absence of power outages and shortages has been surprising since Japan relies mainly on Russian natural gas, which has become very expensive since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Nuclear power plants have been shut down for the most part since the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima in 2011.
The heat wave is expected to ease up this week; in the meantime, people are finding ways to cope with the scorching temperatures. People have been seen to be lounging at beaches and pools all day or spending the whole day indoors. Some people have been going about their regular lives, but this is strongly advised against. Authorities have said that your life could be in danger and to not tough out the heat but to take “every measure to protect your life.”
