Japan is facing a record-breaking heatwave testing the country’s power supply during
surging demand for air conditioning.
On Saturday, June 2 in Tokyo, temperatures topped 95 degrees Fahrenheit for eight
days in a row – a streak only seen once since 1875, when the capital began to keep records.
Cities across Japan have recently experienced punishing heat, like Isesaki in Gunma
Prefecture, whose temperatures on Friday nearly broke a record just two years ago, hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Japan is also experiencing the repercussion of this sweltering heat: a sudden rise in
deaths, injuries, and exhaustion related to heatstroke. According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster
Management Agency, ambulances recently took over 4,500 people with symptoms of
heatstroke to hospitals, more than four times the number last year during the same period.
Citizens over 65, who are especially susceptible to heat and make up most of these
patients, disproportionately form one-fourth of Japan’s aging population. Officials have issued
daily heat alerts, urging residents to stay indoors or to use an umbrella when outside.
The most convenient option is air conditioning, too much of which could exacerbate the
already existing energy problems in Japan. Tohoku Electric Power Company, serving six
prefectures in Northern Japan, has announced that it would be “extremely difficult” to continue to supply consistent energy to all customers, asking them to “please save as much power as possible.”
Yet amid the surging demand and warnings of a strained electrical grid, no power
outages have happened since this Saturday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kashida and other officials have insisted that while citizens should
keep their air conditioning on for safety concerns, they should also wean themselves from less necessary uses for power. For example, they could set higher temperatures for refrigerators or turn off Japan’s popular heated toilet seats.
Japan’s energy problems – specifically, power blackouts during high demand – stem
from its heavy reliance on liquefied natural gas. Hard to stockpile, this energy source has also
increased in price since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. Japan
has closed most of its nuclear power plants since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and has done the same to coal power plants to reduce carbon emissions.
As long as this heatwave lasts, citizens must take care of themselves and protect
themselves from the heat. “You can’t manage the heat just with your endurance. No matter how tough a person you are, you could lose your life,” said Kentaro Araki, a researcher at the Japan Meteorological Agency. “Please take every possible measure to protect your life.”
Link to article: Japan Swelters Through a Punishing Heat Wave – The New York Times
surging demand for air conditioning.
On Saturday, June 2 in Tokyo, temperatures topped 95 degrees Fahrenheit for eight
days in a row – a streak only seen once since 1875, when the capital began to keep records.
Cities across Japan have recently experienced punishing heat, like Isesaki in Gunma
Prefecture, whose temperatures on Friday nearly broke a record just two years ago, hitting 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Japan is also experiencing the repercussion of this sweltering heat: a sudden rise in
deaths, injuries, and exhaustion related to heatstroke. According to Japan’s Fire and Disaster
Management Agency, ambulances recently took over 4,500 people with symptoms of
heatstroke to hospitals, more than four times the number last year during the same period.
Citizens over 65, who are especially susceptible to heat and make up most of these
patients, disproportionately form one-fourth of Japan’s aging population. Officials have issued
daily heat alerts, urging residents to stay indoors or to use an umbrella when outside.
The most convenient option is air conditioning, too much of which could exacerbate the
already existing energy problems in Japan. Tohoku Electric Power Company, serving six
prefectures in Northern Japan, has announced that it would be “extremely difficult” to continue to supply consistent energy to all customers, asking them to “please save as much power as possible.”
Yet amid the surging demand and warnings of a strained electrical grid, no power
outages have happened since this Saturday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kashida and other officials have insisted that while citizens should
keep their air conditioning on for safety concerns, they should also wean themselves from less necessary uses for power. For example, they could set higher temperatures for refrigerators or turn off Japan’s popular heated toilet seats.
Japan’s energy problems – specifically, power blackouts during high demand – stem
from its heavy reliance on liquefied natural gas. Hard to stockpile, this energy source has also
increased in price since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. Japan
has closed most of its nuclear power plants since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and has done the same to coal power plants to reduce carbon emissions.
As long as this heatwave lasts, citizens must take care of themselves and protect
themselves from the heat. “You can’t manage the heat just with your endurance. No matter how tough a person you are, you could lose your life,” said Kentaro Araki, a researcher at the Japan Meteorological Agency. “Please take every possible measure to protect your life.”
Link to article: Japan Swelters Through a Punishing Heat Wave – The New York Times
