PUBLISHED ONJuly 24, 2018 5:45 AMTOKYO – An “unprecedented” heatwave in Japan has killed at least 65 people in one week, government officials said Tuesday (July 24), with the weather agency now classifying the record-breaking weather as a “natural disaster.”
In the week to Sunday at least 65 people died of heat stroke while 22,647 people were hospitalised, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.
Both figures are “the worst-ever for any week during summer” since the agency began recording fatalities resulting from heat stroke in July 2008, an agency spokesman told AFP.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that a total of 80 people have died from the heat since the beginning of July, and over 35,000 have been hospitalised.
Among those killed was six-year-old school boy who lost consciousness on his way back from a field trip.
“As a record heatwave continues to blanket the country, urgent measures are required to protect the lives of schoolchildren,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday.
The government said it would supply funds to ensure all schools are equipped with air conditioners by next summer.
Less than half of Japan’s public schools have air conditioning, and the figure is only slightly higher at public kindergartens.
Suga said the government would also consider extending this year’s summer school holidays as the heatwave drags on.
On Monday, the city of Kumagaya in Saitama outside Tokyo set a new national heat record, with temperatures hitting 41.1 degree Celsius.
Japan’s Summer Turns Tokyo Into a Sauna
For the first time ever, Tokyo’s metro area saw scorchers that topped 40 °C. The government’s “Uchimizu” campaign—sprinkling water on the ground like a weather‑adjusting sprinkler—has finally kicked in.
Heatwave Hotness
- Temperatures stayed well above the norm across the country.
- Even Tuesday was a tease—cooler by a few degrees, but still sizzling.
- Wild, wild heat waves continue to bake things at 35 °C and higher until early August.
“We’re witnessing unprecedented heat in some places,” said meteorologist Motoaki Takekawa. He blasted the heatwave as a “fatal nature‑driven disaster.”
What Officials Are Saying
- Use air‑conditioning like it’s a luxury.
- Hydration is key—drink water, or risk turning into a human raisin.
- Rest often—yes, even the city’s workforce is encouraged to pause.
The Japanese summer, notorious for heat and humidity, kills hundreds of old folks each year from heatstroke. With an aging population, the risk is real.
Crippling Consequences
On top of the temperatures, a record‑breaking rainfall just a week ago caused massive floods and landslides in western and central Japan—killing more than 220 people. Many survivors still live in damaged homes or shelters and work outdoors to rebuild, piling their own heatstroke risk.
Olympic Heat‑Worries
As Tokyo prepares for the 2020 Olympics two years from now, the weather is casting doubts. Governor Yuriko Koike promised that heat measures will get as much priority as anti‑terror protocols.
“It’s just as important because the purpose is to protect people’s lives,” she told reporters, comparing the summer danger to “living in a sauna.”
