News Japan's heat wave 2022

[thomas]

Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture registered the hottest June day ever on record: 40.2 C, beating Kumagaya's previous record of 39.8 C in 2011. And officially, we are still in the rainy season.

A weather station recorded a temperature of 40.2 Celsius (104.36 Fahrenheit) on Saturday afternoon, in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Tokyo, according to the agency. The figure broke the previous record of Japan's hottest June day — 39.8 C observed on June 24, 2011. "A strong anticyclone from the Pacific, coupled with a cloudless weather, brought the heat," a JMA official said. Another weather station in central Tokyo logged 35.4 C earlier in the day, marking the earliest arrival since records began in 1875 of an above-35 C day in the capital, considered extreme heat in Japan. On Saturday, agency and the environment ministry issued a heatstroke alert in six of the country's 47 prefectures, recommending people to remain indoors and use air conditioners.

Japan records hottest June day ever amid energy squeeze

The mercury rose to 40.2 degrees Celsius in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, as the Kanto region was gripped by intense heat.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Mercury climbs to 40.2 C in Japan, national record for June - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Temperatures climbed in Tokyo and surrounding areas on Saturday, with the city of Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture registering 40.2 C, a n

mainichi.jp

 

[Grandpa Frank]

 

[Petaris]

View attachment 88032

I didn't know you lived in Chicago?

Sadly the above is fairly common on the CTA....

 

[thomas]

Tokyo saw its hottest two June days since 1975. It appears that Nerima was the "hotspot":

Temperatures in parts of Tokyo went above 35 degrees for the second straight day for the first time in June since 1975, when records were first kept, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The mercury hit 36.4 degrees in Tokyo's Nerima Ward on June 26. It was one of three sites in the capital to experience withering heat above 35 degrees for two consecutive days. The Tokyo Fire Department said 46 people had been rushed by ambulance to hospitals as of 3 p.m. on June 26 with suspected symptoms of heatstroke.

Hottest two days in June in Tokyo since 1975; 46 taken to hospital | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

For today, Monday, the Japanese government issued a power usage warning urging the public in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s service area to save electricity via measures including turning off unnecessary lights in the demand-intensive 15:00-18:00 period on Monday. The call comes as projections show the area's reserve power supply capacity ratio will be short of 5 per cent Monday. The lowest level necessary for stable supply is 3 per cent.

Japan issues power usage warning for Tokyo area amid heatwaves - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government issued a power usage warning for the first time Sunday as sweltering temperatures in Tokyo and surrounding ar

mainichi.jp

It is 10:30 am, and the thermometer in my study shows a temperature of 30°C. Let's see how long we can last without A/C.

 

[thomas]

In Kanto and several other regions, the rainy season has officially ended. It was the earliest end since 1951, apparently.

Here comes summer.

Three regions, including the Tokyo area, marked an early end to their shortest rainy season on record on June 27 amid a summer heat wave. The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that day that the rainy season appears to have ended in the southern part of the Kyushu region as well as for the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions. The end of the rainy season came 18 to 22 days earlier than usual in these regions. The Kanto-Koshin region recorded its earliest end to the rainy season on record, while the southern part of the Kyushu region and the Tokai region witnessed their second earliest. This year, because of the cold air mass moving southward and other factors, the southern part of the Kyushu region and the Tokai region entered the rainy season eight to 12 days later than usual.

Several regions mark end to their shortest rainy season on record | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Rainy season ends in Tokyo, neighboring areas; earliest since 1951

The rainy season in Tokyo and neighboring areas in the Kanto-Koshin region in eastern and central Japan appears to have ended, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday, the earliest finish to the period since data became available in 1951. The rainy season has also been declared over for the...

japantoday.com

 

[mdchachi]

Is "cool biz" still a thing where companies voluntarily restrict their air conditioners to relatively hot temps like 30?

 

[Lothor]

Tokyo saw its hottest two June days since 1975. It appears that Nerima was the "hotspot":

Hottest two days in June in Tokyo since 1975; 46 taken to hospital | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

For today, Monday, the Japanese government issued a power usage warning urging the public in Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s service area to save electricity via measures including turning off unnecessary lights in the demand-intensive 15:00-18:00 period on Monday. The call comes as projections show the area's reserve power supply capacity ratio will be short of 5 per cent Monday. The lowest level necessary for stable supply is 3 per cent.

Japan issues power usage warning for Tokyo area amid heatwaves - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government issued a power usage warning for the first time Sunday as sweltering temperatures in Tokyo and surrounding ar

mainichi.jp

It is 10:30 am, and the thermometer in my study shows a temperature of 30°C. Let's see how long we can last without A/C.

I live in Nerima-ku, and the summer heat is always brutal. Last Friday, I went to Shinjuku in the afternoon and it was noticeably cooler than Nerima.

 

[thomas]

Is "cool biz" still a thing where companies voluntarily restrict their air conditioners to relatively hot temps like 30?

Yes, it is. The government has implemented a "summer setsuden" campaign urging companies and private households to reduce all unnecessary electricity consumption. On the news, they showed companies that switched off all lighting in the afternoon and set their A/Cs to 28-30°C. Tokyo Tower and other landmarks went dark last night. Just like in the post-3/11 era.

 

[thomas]

The NYT reporting on Japan's heat wave:

Japan is enduring one of its worst heat waves on record, raising concern about potential power shortages amid surging demand, even as officials urged people to keep their air-conditioners running to ward off heat stroke. In Tokyo on Saturday, temperatures exceeded 95 degrees for the eighth straight day, a streak the capital has seen only once before since 1875 when record-keeping began. The scorching heat has descended on cities across Japan, like Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture, which passed the 104-degree mark on Friday, nearly breaking a record set only two years ago. A number of deaths have been attributed to the heat, as well as a surge in people being treated for heat stroke and exhaustion. Over 4,500 people with such symptoms were taken to hospitals in ambulances in recent days, more than four times the number from the same period a year ago, according to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Most of those patients were 65 or older. Senior citizens, who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, make up a disproportionate share of Japan's ageing population.

Japan Swelters Through a Punishing Heat Wave

Temperatures in Tokyo surpassed 95 degrees for the eighth straight day on Saturday, a streak seen only once before since 1875.

www.nytimes.com

Most heat victims are older people. It was reported that actress Nomura Akiko (野村昭子) died of a heat stroke last Friday.

女優・野村昭子さん死去、95歳　「家政婦は見た！」「渡鬼」などで名脇役として活躍（スポニチアネックス） - Yahoo!ニュース

　黒澤明監督の「赤ひげ」や「家政婦は見た！」（テレビ朝日）、「渡る世間は鬼ばかり」（TBS）など数多くの映画、ドラマで活躍した女優の野村昭子（のむら・あきこ、本名増見昭子＝ますみ・あきこ）さんが亡く

news.yahoo.co.jp

 

[mdchachi]

That article says cause of death us unknown but I assume other reports say it was the heat? Seems like that would be hard to definitively say unless her AC was off.

 

[thomas]

That article says cause of death us unknown but I assume other reports say it was the heat? Seems like that would be hard to definitively say unless her AC was off.

The TV news reported that the cause of death was heat stroke. I couldn't find any more recent article on her death. The news also said that for many older people it was a "matter of pride" not to use the A/C, hence the government's calls to turn it on.

 

[mdchachi]

The TV news reported that the cause of death was heat stroke. I couldn't find any more recent article on her death. The news also said that for many older people it was a "matter of pride" not to use the A/C, hence the government's calls to turn it on.

True story: My mom's 90 now and for the last 25 years she only had one window AC unit. (Before that it was just fans.) So when particularly hot days would come she'd turn on the window AC which made that room really cold and then try to distribute the air via fans to other parts of the house. In the meantime myself all and my siblings all had comfortable newer houses and wouldn't dream of living without central (whole house) AC. It was only last year that my brother-in-law said, why don't you install whole house AC? DUH. And so we did. It's not like she couldn't have afforded it 10 or 20 years ago. Somehow we always assumed that's just how it was and she was supposed to suffer through the hot days/nights.

 

[thomas]

Air conditioning is practically non-existent in most residential buildings in Europe. My father and brother in Vienna live in buildings dating to the 1870s and 1880s. The electrical wiring and the water pipes were replaced once in a major refurbishment in the 1990s. A/C? No way, Jose.

 

[mdchachi]

Air conditioning is practically non-existent in most residential buildings in Europe. My father and brother in Vienna live in buildings dating to the 1870s and 1880s. The electrical wiring and the water pipes were replaced once in a major refurbishment in the 1990s. A/C? No way, Jose.

Well Vienna is still relatively mild it looks like. Though I imagine they can get heat waves that could be dangerous for the elderly.

 

[IronDove]

"Senior citizens, who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, make up a disproportionate share of Japan's ageing population."-NYT 2K22
"The ground, which is what we step on, is made almost entirely of the floor"-NYT 2K23

Air conditioning is practically non-existent in most residential buildings in Europe.

I live in the UK and can confirm I have never seen AC in anyone's house ever

 

[mdchachi]

"Senior citizens, who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, make up a disproportionate share of Japan's ageing population."-NYT 2K22
"The ground, which is what we step on, is made almost entirely of the floor"-NYT 2K23


I live in the UK and can confirm I have never seen AC in anyone's house ever

Well the UK has a generally pretty mild climate so it makes sense. I think it rarely hits 30C, right?

 

[vanguard86]

I can't believe this also happens in Japan.

 

[Lothor]

Well the UK has a generally pretty mild climate so it makes sense. I think it rarely hits 30C, right?

These days, the south of England is prone to summer heatwaves, during which it often goes well into the thirties.

 

[thomas]

JMA predicts the peak of the heat wave for tomorrow, 2 August, with some parts of Japan seeing above 40 C (Kumagaya even 41C). Heat alerts were issued in 37 prefectures. You know it's hot when you open the door, and your dog turns around after a few metres.

High temp in east Japan city to hit 41 C on Aug. 2; heat alert issued for 37 prefectures - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- The Aug. 2 high temperature in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, is expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius, while highs of 37 C is forecast for cen

mainichi.jp

Japanese insurance companies have started offering heatstroke policies.

Japanese insurance firms are looking to cash in on a nationwide heat wave by rolling out a series of new offerings related to heatstroke. Several companies have unveiled policies to cover expenses linked to hospitalizations, intravenous drips and other treatments for the condition. But since it is difficult to accurately predict how many people will get heatstroke, some are raising concerns that a sudden surge of patients could deliver a stiff blow to their earnings.

Insurance firms unveil heatstroke policies amid hotter summers | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[Petaris]

Japanese insurance companies have started offering heatstroke policies.

Insurance firms unveil heatstroke policies amid hotter summers | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Does that mean that insurance would not _normally_ cover heatstroke? Seems unlikely. Also, as shown here, insurance companies are universally a$$holes.

 

[thomas]

Does that mean that insurance would not _normally_ cover heatstroke? Seems unlikely. Also, as shown here, insurance companies are universally a$$holes.

I guess it's about additional payouts:

Conventional insurance products are common for hospitalization due to heatstroke. But under the new offering, policyholders are also eligible for payouts if they receive intravenous drips as an outpatient. The benefit ranges from 5,000 yen to 30,000 yen depending on how much they invest.

My bicycle insurance (now compulsory in most prefectures) offers similar services depending on the policy taken out: from daily payouts for days spent at hospital to legal services. Honestly, I find heatstroke policies ridiculous.

 

[mdchachi]

I find heatstroke policies ridiculous.

Yep, they are trying to cash in on the fear.