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859 people hospitalized; 2 deaths reported due to heatstroke nationwide

22 Comments

A total of 859 people were hospitalized due to heatstroke on Wednesday, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported Thursday. Temperatures in many parts of the nation topped 35 degrees. The agency said that 87 people were taken to hospital in Tokyo, 76 in Saitama, 72 in Kanagawa, 62 in Aichi, 55 in Ibaraki, 34 in Chiba, 20 in Gunma and 10 in Tochigi.

NHK reported that in Yokohama, 35 people had to be taken to hospital after falling ill while waiting outside for several hours to attend a book-signing event by an actor. It also reported that two people died of probable heatstroke. One was a 71-year-old woman from Chiba who was found in her home, with the air conditioning turned off, and the other was an 81-year-old woman from Namegata in Ibaraki Prefecture, who collapsed while working in a rice field. Three other heatstroke victims are yet to regain consciousness.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the hottest place in Japan on Wednesday was Gunma Prefecture where temperatures soared to 38.7 degrees Celsius. The temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius at 151 points, including spots in Hokkaido, Aomori and Okinawa. The 36.6 degree peak recorded in Fukushima Prefecture and the high of 34.2 registered in Aomori both match the highest ever recorded temperatures in those prefectures, said the agency. The 35.4 degrees Celsius in Iwate Prefecture was a record for August.

The Meteorological Agency warns that the heat wave is expected to continue for the next few days and is urging people to take safeguards against heatstroke, by drinking plenty of water, sleeping on a wet pillow and using the air conditioner, if necessary.

The recent run of exceptionally hot days is being caused by a high atmospheric pressure over the Pacific Ocean.

© Japan Today

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22 Comments
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Turn your air conditioner ON, don't stand in the sun in the middle of the afternoon for hours, stay hydrated. PROBLEM SOLVED!!!! Are people really this stupid? It happens every year. "and using the air conditioner, if necessary" If necessary? Mine goes on in early July and stays on until October. Nice and cool in my house. I think I see some frost accumulating on the window sills.

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Only 2? I have seen individual reports of far more people dying. Or are those deaths not being attributed to the heat because of a lack of autopsies?

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who wrote this exclusive article for JT? source unknown. Anyway, share with global warming activists.

Moderator: It was sourced from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the Japan Meteorological Agency and an NHK report.

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The excessive heat just seems to be saturating the Northern hemisphere this Summer. High temperature records are being broken almost everywhere above the Equator.

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Well, it reached 108F/42.22C near where I live In the US a few weeks ago. Somehow 95F/35C doesn't seem very hot after living thru that.

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the two who died were 79 and 85 if im not mistaking, but yeah people are very GANKO these days. I think most victims however are highschool kids, now its koshien baseball tournament. In august!! they are insaneeeeeeeeeeee

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"and the other was an 81-year-old woman from Namegata in Ibaraki Prefecture, who collapsed while working in a rice field."

Sigh... working out in the field again... when will people learn? Anyway, it was a scorcher for sure. I left my place for only a few minutes to run to the convenience store and I felt like I was on fire when I stepped into the sunlight.

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I was watching the kids playing sport in the middle of the heat. Shopping centres are full of people, but recently some are turning down the cooling. Everybody seems to say atsui rather than konichiwa these days. Japan is turning into an Asian developing country.

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most dangerous thing that has happened in Japan recently then.

sack the government, protest in the street, panic

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and using the air conditioner, if necessary

If it is 35 degrees outside, then YES it is necessary to use air conditioning; especially the older folks! I, too, do not understand why some Japanese people refuse to turn it on until they absolutely can't stand it anymore. I think it has to do with the gaman culture. Endure, endure, be strong! I rarely see people with water bottles on the train either...

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NHK reported that in Yokohama, 35 people had to be taken to hospital after falling ill while waiting outside for several hours to attend a book-signing event by an actor.

Japanese news said the actor in question was Yusuke Kamiji. I saw similar stuff today at our local shopping/event center- some boy band's handshake event and more than 100 ladies, some with small kids, waiting outside in the sun.I said to my husband that even it wasn't Kamiji or another local celebrity, but some of my favorite European metal bands, I wouldn't go, especially with my child. This is crazy.

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No chance of suffering from heatstroke here in Ireland, here we are in late summer still having to light the fire for the central heating. When I visit Japan I tend to go in your summer time, 30 degrees plus is like going to heaven without dying in my case. Still I take precautions when venturing outdoors, water, sunfactor 30,and a ride on your brilliantly air conditioned trains if the temperature rises beyond 36.

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"Oh well, look on the bright side, people live too long in this country anyway, its one way of getting the numbers of the aged down".This comment was from my Japanese wife.

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Yeah, Like Christina..I'm from Ireland.The rainy west coast. I live in Ibaraki quite close to Tatebayashi and Kamagaya the famed hotest towns in Kanto. After being here five years , It still is quite hard dealing with the heat and humidity.

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Wonder what the folks who said why worry about one kid dieing from the heat..............hopefully they will read this & realize the problem is a little bigger & the numbers are likely a lot higher than whats reported here as Japan tends to under report stuff

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Too many people taking power saving too seriously. I bet the chiefs at TEPCO have no qualms about using airconditioning in their rooms.

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81-year-old woman from Namegata in Ibaraki Prefecture, who collapsed while working in a rice field.

It's good to know, in this uncertain world, that some things never change. What does it take to get a message of self-evident common sense through to these people?

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Here in Arizona 40+ is an everyday event for 3-4 months. No big deal for 3.5 million that leave in the Valley of the Sun. Stay indoors, drink plenty of water… NO PICKING RICE grandma!

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Armen AslanyanAug. 12, 2011 - 06:47AM . Here in Arizona 40+ is an everyday event for 3-4 months. No big deal for 3.5 million that leave in the Valley of the Sun. Stay indoors, drink plenty of water… NO PICKING RICE grandma!

Arizona has different kind of hot. I don't think you really understand the humidity in Japan. When you have high 80-90 percent humidity such as in Japan during the summer, it's unbearable and extremely difficult to get through the day compare to dry hot weather in Arizona. True, Arizona is almost like walking on a frying pan during the summer, but dry heat is manageable. Few years ago, I closed one of the U.S. plant in Nogales, Mexico, across the border from Arizona and so I am very familar with the area. Phoenix is about 5 degrees hotter during summer than Tucson area due to lower elevation.

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Too many people taking power saving too seriously. I bet the chiefs at TEPCO have no qualms about using airconditioning in their rooms.

Agreed! They are taking it too, too seriously. But is anyone really surprised? Not only are people NOT drinking enough water, but drinking hot drinks? Women dressing up and not dressing down, old people working in the fields, kids not taking frequent breaks, many stores and public transportation either have the A/C too low or not on at all. Point is, that many of these deaths and heatstrokes could and can be avoided, provided people do the above mentioned you will just see more deaths and more people being rushed to the hospital because of heatstrokes. And for God's sake, turn up that A/C!!

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