Japan: A deadly heat wave continues as temperatures reach a record 41.4 ° C near Tokyo

At least 44 people have died since July 9, and eleven people died Saturday, according to Kyodo News, while temperatures remained around 38 degrees Celsius (99F) Monday in central Tokyo.

Authorities have forecast extremely high temperatures – exceeding 35C (95F) – for most of the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, with northern Hokkaido being the only one of the four main islands in the country to escape the torrid heat. "The heat potential is higher than usual," said the agency in a statement, adding that people should "take appropriate action," including drinking plenty of water, staying at out of the sun and use air conditioners.

According to AccuWeather's analyst, Joel N. Myers, the death toll is "probably already in the hundreds despite the official record of 39. a little over two dozen ", and could increase beyond that.

"Heat exhaustion and strokes, dehydration, migraines, sleep loss and mood impairment can all be due to dangerous heat. decreased ability to concentrate, poor sleep quality and altered mood, etc.

No relief

According to Myers, in parts of Japan that do not often experience high temperatures, air conditioning is less prevalent, which means that people do not have cool places in order to relax.

A government survey released last year found that only about 42% of public elementary and secondary schools were air-conditioned, and most apartment buildings do not have a climate control system centralized.

The cultural sensitivity to waste fueled a general apathy towards air conditioning over the years, fueled by environmental concerns and a government campaign "Cool Biz" which urged companies to set thermostats at 28C (82.4). F) to avoid wasting energy.

The power shortages caused by the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima also resulted in calls to reduce or limit the use of air conditioning.

"It was said that keeping the air conditioning all night was not good for one's health, but one keeps it all year round," said Kenichiro Maeda, a Tokyo worker.

Stressing rising temperatures worldwide, he said "we have to do something, but we feel helpless".

Hot Summer

On a global scale, the average temperature of land and oceans in the first three months of the year. year was the sixth highest since 1880 [19659003] Much of the northern hemisphere experienced a hot summer characterized by heat waves and extreme weather conditions.

Hundreds of thousands of people were also evacuated to the Philippines, with monsoon rains exacerbated by multiple storms, causing floods and other hazards.

Volunteers assisting in flood restoration efforts are experiencing increasing difficulties and delays due to extreme heat.

"I've never experienced such a hot summer before," said Tomoko Takemoto, an office worker in Tokyo. "It's still in July, I wonder what will happen in August."

She said that she was concerned about her dog, saying that it was impossible to walk her after 6 am because it was too hot and that the animal was out of print.

The IT professional Atsuhiko Takahashi said that he felt "like I'm going to faint, it's too hot, I can not stand it."

"I'm worried about my child playing outside, not staying home all the time, but now we say do not play outside during the day," he added.