Japan s rainy season carries hidden danger of heatstroke

TOKYO – A high-pressure system raised temperatures across Japan on June 17 morning, causing intense summer-like heat despite the rainy season.

According to AFP, temperatures topped 34 deg C in Tokyo on June 18.

The heat is expected to remain at its peak until around June 20 in many places, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

“The rainy season carries a risk of heatstroke due to high humidity,” said Saitama Jikei Hospital deputy director Tsuyoshi Fujinaga, an expert on the condition. He warned that many people are not yet accustomed to the heat and tend to get careless about the danger during this season.

From May to June 8, a total of 3,833 people were taken to hospitals due to heatstroke, according to preliminary figures from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

That figure is higher than the 3,665 recorded during the same period last summer, which ended up seeing a total of 97,578 people sent to hospitals for heatstroke between May and September, the highest since statistics began in 2008.

The report showed that 27.8 per cent of heatstroke cases occurred at home, followed by 20.2 per cent on the streets and 14.7 per cent on outdoor train platforms and in carparks.

In June, an 86-year-old woman in Koto ward, Tokyo, was diagnosed with mild heatstroke after experiencing headaches and nausea while taking a nap in her living room. She had kept the windows closed all day due to the rains but avoided using the air-conditioner as “it was not summer yet”.

Dr Fujinaga said heatstroke in the rainy season is caused by high humidity, which makes it difficult for sweat to evaporate, resulting in the body retaining more heat.

It is also important to be aware of hidden dehydration, in which the body loses water unnoticed, he said. High