248 people die in Tokyo’s 23 wards from suspected heat stroke, over 80% due to unused air conditioners | NHK | Heat stroke September 3, 2024 22:22 During this record-breaking summer, 248 people have died from suspected heat stroke in Tokyo’s 23 wards in the three months up to August, according to an interview with the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner’s Office, which is already approaching the highest number ever. In over 80% of cases, air conditioning was not turned on or was never installed, highlighting once again the need for countermeasures. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner’s Office, preliminary figures show that 248 people, ranging in age from 40 to over 90, died from suspected heatstroke in the three months from June to August this year. This is significantly higher than the 192 cases in the four months from June to September last year, and close to the 251 cases in 2022, the highest number since 2006, when the number of cases has been made public. By age group, the majority were elderly, with 97 in their 80s, 82 in their 70s, 32 over 90 years old, and 27 in their 60s. By location, 239 people (96.3%) died indoors, and nearly 90% of these, or 213 people (just over 80% of the total deaths), were not using air conditioning. Of those who did not use air conditioning, 155 people had air conditioning but did not use it, and 58 people died in rooms without air conditioning. The Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner’s Office said, “The people who die tend to be elderly or people living alone, so it is difficult for those around them to notice changes in their physical condition, and symptoms can become very severe, so caution is needed. Death from heatstroke is preventable, so please make sure to use air conditioning on hot days.” Deaths suspected to be from heat stroke Heat index and temperature (omitted) *See source for full text.
>>3 Until now: If you have a TV, pay the reception fee From now on: If you have a TV and an air conditioner, pay the reception fee That’s a pretty interesting proposal.
I got my electricity bill and thought it was expensive. This month they deducted almost 18,000 yen. Last month it was 12,000 yen. Maybe it’s because I ran the air conditioner at full power during the heatwave and because I spent more time at home during the holidays.
>>17 If even your sense of temperature becomes dull and you die from that, then there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s the same as being kept alive by being fed through a tube.
It doesn’t often suddenly go over 40°C, but last year for the first time we had two weeks of extremely hot days with temperatures around 38°C at the top and 28°C at the bottom, without any breaks in between. It was the same this year. The sun comes up in the morning before the temperature has completely dropped at night, so we’ve started keeping the air conditioner on low all the time while we sleep.
>>24 If you turn off the air conditioner before going to bed (including an hourly timer), it won’t be that bad if you get heatstroke while you’re sleeping. If you do manage to survive, though, you’ll suffer from aftereffects and such.
Heat stroke is the trigger, but most of the time it’s elderly people with pre-existing conditions. Someone who died at a construction site a while ago had alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, diabetes, high blood pressure, and just before death his blood sugar was over 500 but even with that the cause of death was listed as heat stroke.
However, only one air conditioner was used, set at 28 degrees, and no electrical appliances such as the microwave were used. Even so, my electricity bill for August was 30,000 yen. We had no choice but to use air conditioning as we are a family of four, including elderly parents, but I think many people would not be able to pay that price. Aren’t there even people who have all-electric homes that cost over 100,000 yen?
>>36 Fuel prices are so high it’s crazy! We’re struggling so we’re raising electricity bills! (TEPCO has the highest profits ever) That’s just how it is.
One of the reasons why energy prices, including electricity, have risen so much is undoubtedly Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and it could also be said to have triggered inflation in areas other than energy.
It’s humid in Japan, but it’s still only about 40 degrees. Apparently it can reach over 50 degrees overseas. This trend won’t change anytime soon. It’s finally starting to feel cooler in the mornings and evenings as we enter September, but I’m still scared of next year.
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