The Japanese government warned millions of people in the Tokyo region to save energy or face blackouts, as battles for the capital hit record temperatures in June after an early end to the rainy season.
Temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) were forecast in the city throughout the day, with similar extreme weather expected for the rest of the week, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
“We ask the public to reduce energy consumption during the early evening hours when the reserve ratio is low,” Deputy Prime Minister Yoshihiko Isozaki told reporters.
Isozaki advised families and businesses to turn off unused lights and limit air conditioning use, though he added that people should watch out for heat stroke.
The Ministry of Economy and Industry said that people living in the area are served by Tokyo Electric Power Corporation [Tepco] It must conserve energy, especially when demand peaks in the late afternoon and early evening. Reports said reserve generation capacity could drop to 3.7% in Tokyo and the surrounding area at that time; Less than 3% risk of blackouts and blackouts.
Electricity demand is higher than expected because the temperature exceeded expectations on Sunday, said Kaname Ogawa, director of electricity supply policy at the ministry. “We have been shocked by the extraordinary heat of this season,” said Ogawa. “Please cooperate and save as much energy as possible.”
A large part of Japan typically experiences lower unpleasant temperatures during the middle of the rainy season. But on Monday, the agency announced that the season had ended – the earliest recorded date – in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo.
It was the closest end to the season since records began in 1951 and 22 days earlier than usual.
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Temperatures have hit other parts of the country in recent days. The city of Isaki in Gunma Prefecture north of Tokyo, on Sunday, recorded the highest temperature in the country in June at 40.2 degrees Celsius.
More than 250 people were taken to hospitals in the capital over the weekend after suffering heat stroke, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
“Once the rainy season is over, many people have not fully acclimatized to the heat and are at greater risk of heat stroke,” the weather agency said in a statement.
Officials were encouraging people to take off their masks outside to prevent heatstroke, although many were still wearing face coverings in Tokyo on Monday.
Asako Narus, who was on a sightseeing tour, said she had never experienced such extreme heat in early summer. “I’m from northern Japan,” she said, “so these temperatures seem very intense.”
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