Tokyo, Japan: On June 28, Japan baked under intense heat for a fourth successive day, with temperatures breaking nearly 150-year-old records for June.
Authorities also warned that electricity supplies remained tight enough to raise the risks of power cuts.
On June 28, temperatures in Tokyo hit 35.1 C after three successive days of topping 35 C, a record streak of hot June weather dating back to when record keeping began in 1875, while the Japan Meteorological Agency is forecasting highs of 36 C on June 30 and 35 C on July 1 in the capital.
Amidst rising cases of hospitalizations, and with emergency services stating 76 people in Tokyo were taken to hospitals yesterday, heatstroke alerts have been issued in some areas of the country.
A legacy of more than two years of widespread public mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around Japan have flouted government advice to not wear face masks outdoors to reduce heatstroke risks.
In addition, for a second day, authorities have encouraged consumers in the Tokyo area to moderately conserve electricity to prevent looming power cuts.
“Apparently, there are some elderly people who have turned off their air conditioners because we are asking people to save energy, but please, if it is this hot, do not hesitate about cooling off,” Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda told a news conference.
After attending a meeting of shareholders of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which provides power to the greater Tokyo region, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she had called for price cuts, reported Fuji News Network.
