IOC planning to move Tokyo Olympic marathon north to Sapporo in bid to avoid heat
The plan is the latest in a series of countermeasures being taken to protect athletes, spectators and volunteers from the nation’s infamously hot summer heat.
Sizzling summer threatens Tokyo 2020, Osaka Expo
The summer of 2019 brought record-breaking heat. Early to mid-September, until last week, felt like late July in Kansai, Tokyo, Nagoya and parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Only in a few areas of Hokkaido, where temperatures dropped into the low teens at night, were ...
Cold comfort: Tokyo Olympic planners test fake snow to beat the heat
Tokyo 2020 organizers blasted volunteers with fake snow on Friday as they trial ever more extreme methods to beat the heat ahead of the games. But instead of light fluffy snowflakes, the crowd, consisting mainly of Tokyo 2020 staff, was pelted with fairly coarse shards ...
France's summer heat waves claimed 1,500 more lives than average, minister says
Two heatwaves that hit France this summer claimed more than 1,500 more lives, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said Sunday. But that toll was significantly lower than the disastrous summer of 2003, when an estimated 15,000 people died during an August heatwave. "We have 1,500 deaths recorded ...
Speed bumps and potholes on the road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics
When planners proposed the opening date of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, they pored over historical weather data in search of the day with the lowest statistical likelihood of rain. It turned out to be Oct. 10. Happily that day, a Saturday, was fine. As ...
Organizers for Tokyo Games considering using artificial snow to fight heat
The organizing committee for the Tokyo Games is considering using artificial snow to ease the expected summer heat during the events, officials said Wednesday. The committee will test the cooling effects of artificial snow sprayed onto uncovered seats at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo's ...
Spring frosts, hail and heat wave put dent in French wine output
French wine production will fall 12 percent this year after vines were damaged by spring frosts, drought and hail, but quality will remain generally good, the agriculture ministry said on Tuesday. In its second estimate for 2019, the ministry forecast production of 43.4 million hectolitres, ...
Tokyo prepares for summer heat of 2020 Olympics with more ambulances and language support
While organizers are striving to mitigate heat risks for visitors, it is also seen as necessary to plan for a large number of people requiring medical attention.
Heatstroke death toll since July exceeds 100 in Tokyo's 23 wards
The heatstroke death toll since July has reached 101 in Tokyo's 23 wards, topping 100 for the second straight year, officials at Tokyo Metropolitan Government's office of medical examiners said Monday. For 2018, the death toll stood at 164 in the heavily populated capital, according ...
Portable fans flying off shelves as Japan deals with another scorching summer
As the unrelenting heat continues, people young and old are resorting to a low-tech way to stay cool this summer: portable electric fans. Stores selling the fans, some of which conveniently attach to the neck or wrist, say they are selling at a brisker pace ...
LDP panel to study ways to prevent heatstroke during 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics
A group of lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will launch a full-fledged study this autumn on measures to prevent heatstroke during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The group hopes that the results of their study will help the 2020 Games run ...
Beating the heat at the Tokyo Olympics
Hosting the games will call on the best of Japanese expertise, innovation and imagination to bring out the best in the athletes competing in very challenging conditions.
