In July of 2022, Tokyo went through one of their worst heat waves with temperatures exceeding 95 degrees 8 days in a row, breaking a record set in 1875.
Numerous people have died from heat stroke and exhaustion; 4,500 people with these symptoms have been taken to hospitals. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reports that this is four times the amount of heat related hospitalizations from last year. Of these 4,500 people, mostly senior citizens.
On Friday, Seiji Kihara, the deputy cabinet secretary, suggested everyone take their masks off when running, cycling, or walking to work.
Beyond worrying about hospitalizations, citizens must face the possibility of losing power. Tohoku Electric Power Company says that it would be “extremely difficult” to keep the power running for all its customers and that everyone must save as much power as possible. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says that everyone should keep their air conditioning on for their safety but cut back on other sources of power. He says that most of his lights in his office are turned off.
Japan uses liquified natural gas which is hard to store in large quantities. Not only that, but lately liquified natural gas has been more expensive since the Russo-Ukrainian War. Due to this, it is exponentially more difficult to source power to the people and is an extreme stressor to the country’s power.
But people are coping with the heat. On twitter, a Tokyo Politician says that his daughter’s catch ball practice has been canceled so they went to the bookstore and got some sweets.
Kentaro Araki, a researcher at the Japan Meteorological Agency warns its people to take as many precautions as possible, saying “You can’t manage the heat just with your endurance. No matter how tough a person you are, you could lose your life. Please take every possible measure to protect your life.”
Numerous people have died from heat stroke and exhaustion; 4,500 people with these symptoms have been taken to hospitals. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reports that this is four times the amount of heat related hospitalizations from last year. Of these 4,500 people, mostly senior citizens.
On Friday, Seiji Kihara, the deputy cabinet secretary, suggested everyone take their masks off when running, cycling, or walking to work.
Beyond worrying about hospitalizations, citizens must face the possibility of losing power. Tohoku Electric Power Company says that it would be “extremely difficult” to keep the power running for all its customers and that everyone must save as much power as possible. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says that everyone should keep their air conditioning on for their safety but cut back on other sources of power. He says that most of his lights in his office are turned off.
Japan uses liquified natural gas which is hard to store in large quantities. Not only that, but lately liquified natural gas has been more expensive since the Russo-Ukrainian War. Due to this, it is exponentially more difficult to source power to the people and is an extreme stressor to the country’s power.
But people are coping with the heat. On twitter, a Tokyo Politician says that his daughter’s catch ball practice has been canceled so they went to the bookstore and got some sweets.
Kentaro Araki, a researcher at the Japan Meteorological Agency warns its people to take as many precautions as possible, saying “You can’t manage the heat just with your endurance. No matter how tough a person you are, you could lose your life. Please take every possible measure to protect your life.”
