8 0 dead in Japan as mercury passes 40C

TWO weeks into Japan’s blistering heat wave, at least 80 people have died and thousands have been rushed to hospitals, as officials yesterday urged citizens to stay indoors to avoid temperatures exceeding 40C.

The government said it may pay to help state schools install air conditioners and suggested extending summer holidays, which started this week for many students. While most schools in Tokyo have coolers, few in rural areas do.

“Record temperatures are continuing across the country and emergency measures to protect students and their well-being has become an issue,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a briefing.

Public broadcaster NHK advised frequent sips of water to keep people hydrated, advised them to restore salt levels depleted by sweat, and stay indoors. It has also aired videos with instructions on treating victims of mild heat-stroke.

Temperatures neared 40C yesterday in many cities, just off Monday’s record of 41.1C in the city of Kumagaya northwest of the capital. Temperatures in central Tokyo hovered near 35C.

People turned up their air conditioning, driving prices on the Japan Electric Power Exchange to their highest in five years, exchange data showed, the second week that they have hit multi-year highs.

More people are dying from the heat, figures from the Fire and Defence Management Agency (FDMA) show. In the week to July 22, 65 people died, versus 12 the previous week and only three in the seven days prior, the FDMA said. At least 13 more people died on Monday, the Kyodo newswire said.

“The elderly make up the vast majority of deaths,” said Fumiaki Fujibe, a researcher in the geography department of Tokyo Metropolitan University.

“About half of the people sent to emergency rooms are over 65, but they account for 80pc of the deaths.”

The heat has also fuelled worries for the safety of athletes and spectators at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020.