Tokyo — Japan is one of the worst heat waves on record, raising concerns about potential power shortages amid rising demand, despite urging people to keep air conditioners running to prevent heat stroke. Withstands.
In Tokyo on Saturday, the temperature exceeded 95 degrees Celsius for eight consecutive days. This is the streak that the capital once saw only once since 1875, when record keeping began. Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture, exceeded 104 degrees on Friday, almost breaking the record just two years ago.
Many deaths are due to fever, as well as the surge in people being treated for heat stroke and fatigue. According to Japan, patients with these symptoms have recently been taken to hospitals by ambulance, more than four times more than in the same period last year. Fire and Disaster Management Agency..
Most of those patients were over 65 years old. Elderly people, who are particularly vulnerable to the heat wave, have an imbalanced proportion of Japan’s aging population.
Authorities Issuing daily heat alerts Ask people to stay indoors as much as possible for a week and use an umbrella to protect themselves from the sun. Authorities also urged people not to wear face masks, which most Japanese residents use closely throughout the Covid pandemic, in many outdoor situations.
“I want you to take off your mask when you work walking, jogging or cycling,” said Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara on Friday.
Power companies have warned that heat waves will strain the grid, although there were no power outages as of Saturday. Tohoku Electric Power, which serves six prefectures in northern Japan, said this week that it would be “very difficult” to keep power flowing to all its customers. “Save as much power as you can,” the company said. Said..
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials have urged people to keep air conditioning on for their own safety, but to reduce the use of other electricity. “Most of the lights in my office are off,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said at a press conference on Friday. “It’s dark.”
Mr. Koike suggested raising the temperature of the refrigerator, which is popular in Japan, and switching off the toilet seat. (“In this situation, you can turn it off completely,” she said.)
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Japan has been heavily dependent on difficult and expensive liquefied natural gas to stockpile, making it vulnerable to power outages during periods of high demand. Japan has been closing most nuclear power plants since the meltdown in Fukushima in 2011, closing coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon emissions.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy said on Friday that heat waves are likely to subside soon, along with pressure on electricity supplies. “Next week, the heat is expected to drop and electricity demand will be lower,” he said in a statement.
On Twitter, some people said they were finding a way to deal with it. Yoko OguchiA Tokyo politician, her daughter’s catchball practice was canceled due to the heat. “Thanks to this spare time, we go to the bookstore and make a short trip in search of something delicious,” she said. “I heard that parasols are effective, so I use a large parasol.”
Others focused on encouraging people to take care of themselves. “Endurance alone is not enough to control the heat. No matter how tough you are, you can die.” Kentaro Araki said, Researcher of Japan Meteorological Agency. “Take every step to save your life.”
Hisako Ueno Report from Tokyo, and Callan Deep Singh From Seoul.