Air conditioner, soft drink sales surge in record hot summer but department stores suffer
Shipments of air conditioners and nonalcoholic beverages hit all-time highs in July while swimming pools were crowded with people looking to cool off amid the scorching summer heat. But department stores saw fewer customers during the heat wave amid warnings from the Meteorological Agency that ...
Environment Ministry seeks funding for heatstroke prevention initiative
The Environment Ministry plans to launch an initiative in fiscal 2019 to comb the country for effective measures being taken to prevent heat exhaustion and heatstroke, sources said. The ministry plans to select some of the measures as model projects to be redesigned and spread ...
Indoor playgrounds in hot demand as Japan swelters in record heat
Indoor playgrounds are proving a godsend for parents looking to allow their children to stay active and safe as Japan sweats through a summer of record-breaking heat. Parents are turning to playgrounds in air-conditioned shopping centers and other commercial enterprises when they would typically use ...
Male use of parasols gets government push in hot and humid Japan
The Saitama Prefectural Government is encouraging men to use ultraviolet ray parasols to reduce the number of people falling sick because of the hot weather. Male employees in the prefectural government who formed a group to promote the campaign have tweeted comments from male UV ...
Tarps and tons of ice and other coolants are being deployed to keep sensitive seafood fresh at the world-famous fish market.
Japan nears record number of hospitalizations for heat-related issues
More than 57,000 people were taken to the hospital over the last three months due to the nationwide heat wave, government data showed Tuesday, with the figure likely to reach a record high for the year. A total of 57,534 cases of heat exhaustion and ...
Japan's utilities crank up oil-fired power in face of heat wave
To cool down, electricity suppliers are firing up fossil fuels.
The nation must do more to protect its growing elderly population against the perils of extreme weather.
Record-breaking high temperatures likely a 'new normal' for Japan, experts warn
Official climate forecasts and experts are warning that the recent rise in temperatures is likely to become the new normal in the years ahead.
Tokyo marks two years until Olympic Games amid concerns over heat and congestion
A major challenge facing the city as it prepares to host the games is the possibility of a heat wave hitting while it welcomes the world.
A deadly heat wave across Asia is stretching electricity grids from southern China to Tokyo and Seoul, sending prices to multiyear highs and sparking warnings of more power stress to come. Japan on Monday breached records above 41 degrees as the heat blamed for dozens ...
Japan records its highest temperature ever as the mercury hits 41.1 in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, amid a deadly heat wave.
