8 die Wednesday as heat wave engulfs Japan; mercury tops 40 C in Gifu

The death of that 1st grader is simply outrageous. Read the full write-up here:

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201807180024.html

Every year kids die from heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

When will schools understand “hot outside, keep the kids inside”?

My granddaughters Elementary School teacher was telling them to drink even if you don't feel thirsty so I have to give him props for that

Sometimes the "gambare" mentality that people have here in Japan is just so foolish! If the teacher had stopped and thought about the poor boy instead of just pressuring him to continue on despite his condition, he might still be alive. Also, these old people that continue to go out and try to work in their gardens, thinking that their "fighting spirit" will protect them are also foolish. Stay in where it is cool, or get yourself to a cool shopping mall, or cafe, library and wait out this heat.

Agreed, far too many outside when they shouldn't be.

Me I always stay inside in July/August unless I really have to, unfortunately today I have to, stay safe out there, its KILLER outside, LITERALLY!

What the hell was the teacher thinking!? This idiot should be charged with manslaughter

a 6-year-old boy who fell unconscious after he attended an outdoor class for about two hours 

This is just stupid! You cancel outdoor events if it’s that flipping hot! At the private high school I work in there were kids playing soccer and the track and field club were running up and down the stairs in the hottest part of the day around 2pm yesterday. It’s complete lunacy!

And they still want to run the Olympic marathon in Tokyo in this kind of heat?

How awful that the 6 year old died. The family must be furious! This didn’t need to happen.

jcapanToday 06:48 am JST

The death of that 1st grader is simply outrageous. Read the full write-up here:

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201807180024.html

Yet another pointless death of a child in summer. It happens every year and yet little changes. The poor family must be heartbroken.

Also, reading the other news in that link, it's interesting to see how many stories fail to make it into other news outlets in this country.

I dont like this heat.

Echoing the sentiment of everyone else here.

So unbelievably sad that a young child has to die needlessly.

Part of it is the stupid "ganbare" attitude that people, including kids just need to persevere.

But part of it is also just plain ignorance.

Adults forget that the bodies of children have far less protection against heat than adults. Far less protection of their core.

And that it takes far less for a child to develop heat stroke and die than it does for an adult. And that once a child gets into difficultly, there is very little time to get them out of danger.

Part of it is the stupid "ganbare" attitude that people, including kids just need to persevere.

For anyone needing examples, if you're outside this weekend walk by a local sports field where the kids are playing organized baseball and football. In fairness, there are some good coaches.

I think children should play outside in this heat, you can’t change nature and this will get worse. There bodies will adapt. But adults must teach, instruct,order basic rules. Drink water, take shade if to much, don’t eat fatty combini food.

i worry about the old people. They don’t have money. I tried to buy an air con yesterday. Takes 2-3 weeks, and price is double from two years ago.

2 weeks for a 82 years old in 38degrees is not on.

Goodlucktoyou, sorry but waiting until now to buy aircon is just bad planning. Its not like summer is a surprise season... it happens every year. Buy and install aircon during autumn or winter. There are good deals around and the installers are mostly sitting around bored. I bought a secondhand unit last year on an Auction for 15,000, and had an installer come and set it up the next day for 7000. Worked great as a heater during winter, and now its keeping us nice and cool.

32 in the shade already at 9:30am in Kobe. Me in my Apocalypse Now Kurtz voice, "the horror, the horror"

"...walk by a local sports field where the kids are playing organized baseball and football. "

A few years back, my ward shut down the outdoor swimming pools during photochemical smog alerts, triggered by very hot temperatures. But they kept baseball going, and the field was a broiling, shadeless space of dirt and gravel -- no trees or grass.

When I complained, they told me baseball was "organized" hence safe, while swimming (in cool water) was "individual," thus a danger. There's a basic flaw in the mentality on a national scale on this issue. Like using 100 yen umbrellas and wear wool suits outside during fierce typhoons. See it all the time!

Central air conditioning (and heating in winter) is a wonderful thing. No dwelling in a first world country should be without it - there is just no excuse for it. August in Tokyo and Osaka are miserable. I’ll never forget that year when I traveled extensively in southern Japan during the middle of Summer. Just walking to the train station and standing on the platform caused me to become literally drenched in sweat. Made me wish I went to Hokkaido instead. Just awful.

Yep! Gotta agree! You send your kids to school to educate them, not to torture them! Let's hope there is an investigation into to the death of the 6 year old although, I doubt if anything will come of it. This is Japan where common sense and compromise are not part of the curriculum.

Terrible. Makes me very glad I left North Queensland to come to Hokkaido. It's ridiculous that those kids were outside. When I was in school at home, if it was over 35 the news would always recommend people stay inside or in the shade between 11 and 2.

Nonsense from rules or the norm resulting in death, the comment about "organised" and "individual" that's sums up the whole problem. Australia over 38 work stops if you work outdoors. But then Australia do have industry rules that are effective. I can not believe the stupidity of supposedly teaching institutions when the current rules result in death, that's a fairly strong indication that the system is wrong. Shogani, gambatte. Two of my most hateful Japanese words.

That child's death is absolutely tragic. The default rule definitely should be to cancel outdoor activities like that when there is a heat warning in effect.

It amazes me that the article does not mention the fact that high humidity is the problem.

Biologically, one's body sweating becomes close to useless over 90% humidity level.

Felt body temperature differs from one person to another. Old people and children at higher risks because temperature body regulation organ (hypothalamus gland) either not fully mature or reduced capacity.

Also around 60% of body heat is normally lost through radiations so imagine if outdoor in sunshine in a concrete or sandy area !

All of above should be known to Japanese as basics.

I personally remember 2013 when I did not need or couldn't use hot water for showering even after midnight from May to end September (Yokohama area) !

There's not much we can do about the heat except to stay out of it when it is not necessary to be out. And, that being said, there is NO Reason why schools should be engaging in club activities on dirt fields in the peak of day, and 40 degree days. NONE.

"The scorching heat already killed six people on Tuesday. Among them was a 6-year-old boy who fell unconscious after he attended an outdoor class for about two hours with his teacher and classmates in Aichi Prefecture."

I can already see the BOE assuring parents that they "could not have known it would be so hot" and "could not have known children would get heatstroke", of course, it being extremely difficult to call up schools and make a rule that no children play outside in such conditions without the 10 years of red tape. The school, the teacher, and the BOE should be sued for MILLIONS (dollars), but I guarantee we'll see Nothing but a bow and a "promise to look into it". I mean... the kids have to start the three month sports day show practice, right?

The article and stats show that 46.1% of those hospitalized (and including deaths) were seniors (above 65), which means that the majority of cases were not. I guarantee that of that 53.9%, 99% were kids forced to do club activities outdoors. Some 29 kids at the school near where I live alone were attended by medical personnel and/or taken to hospital. Yet this Morning on my way to work, there they were doing club before classes start.

Japan does not learn, and THAT is the biggest problem.

Yep it's hot, because it's summer but that is no excuse for not participating in club activities just leap over that body oh and that one too, madness. Children dying because the system is unchanged, that would cause confusion. Best to have children die. Less paperwork than dragging a limp body off school grounds.

@Rosalind Harris - Terrible. Makes me very glad I left North Queensland to come to Hokkaido. It's ridiculous that those kids were outside. When I was in school at home, if it was over 35 the news would always recommend people stay inside or in the shade between 11 and 2.

When I was in primary school in Brisbane they would send everybody home if the temp got over 37'C (100'F). However, in Japan, they send them outside to play soccer. Absolute madness!

https://www.calculator.net/heat-index-calculator.html

I know there are several sites like the one above that roughly calculate 'heat index'. What they don't factor in, at least I think they don't, is the 'extra' heat created on city streets by vehicles and other urban sources.

Japan needs a real green movement, one that will challenge the status quo, get them to accept something needs to be done - now. Here are some possible actions: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-cities-can-beat-the-heat/]

Our 10 year old granddaughter lives with my wife and I. After my wife leaves for work in the morning, and my granddaughter goes to school, I make sure there are plenty of drinks and ice creams in the refrigerator so they can cool off as soon as they get home. We love the coffee-flavored Papicos. And sometimes I leave the air conditioners on if I know they'll be back shortly.

Where does the tax money go if most elementary schools don't have air conditioning in the classroom?

Someone should be in jail for that 6 year olds death. School should be a safe place for children and parents shouldnt have to worry if there kids will come home in the evening (should be afternoon)...

But then again, this is Japan and nothing will change at all.

We love the coffee-flavored Papicos.

Me too. My guilty pleasure. Probably the one thing I eat more than I should.

This kind of news makes me grit my teeth in anger. That child could have been saved.

Between 1975 and 2015 167 children died of heatstroke while under school supervision and nothing anything changes.

Well, some small changes - when my wife was at school the children were not allowed to drink water while playing outside however hot. She remembers being told off for trying to sneak a drink from the taps.

But that is a small change- the real change would be to stop doing the activity that kills. That it one step too far for Japan.

This child died a very Japanese death. Had he been born elsewhere he would still be alive.

I felt literally ill reading the story about the 1st grade student -how horrible for his family.