Record high of people in Japan sent to hospital due to heatstroke this season

Tokyo, Oct 1 (IANS) A total of 100,143 people in Japan have been taken to hospital due to heatstroke this season, exceeding 100,000 for the first time, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The figure from May through September 28 marks the highest number since 2015 when the survey period was expanded to include May, surpassing the record 97,578 logged last year, preliminary data released by the agency showed Tuesday.

Of the total transported, 116 of the patients died this year and 36,448 others developed symptoms that required hospitalisation.

Elderly people aged 65 or older accounted for 57,235, or more than half of the total.

By prefecture, Tokyo had the most cases with 9,309, followed by Osaka with 7,175, and Aichi with 6,630, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on August 30, temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius and higher were expected across Japan, mainly from the Kanto region that includes Tokyo, through the Kyushu region in the southwest, according to the weather agency.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had said heatstroke alerts have been issued for 22 of the country's 47 prefectures, from Kanto through Kyushu.

A daytime high of 37 degrees Celsius was forecasted in Takamatsu City, and 36 degrees in locations including the cities of Osaka, Nagoya and Kurume, the JMA had said.

Temperatures were likely to rise to 35 degrees Celsius in places including central Tokyo, and the cities of Saitama, Fukui and Kofu.

Weather officials had said the mercury may rise even higher to dangerous levels from the Kanto-Koshin region to the western region of Kinki, urging people to continue to take precautions to prevent heatstroke.

Heatstroke in Japan is caused by environmental factors, especially high temperatures and humidity, exacerbated by population aging and urban heat island effects in cities. Physiological factors like age, chronic illnesses, and dehydration increase vulnerability, particularly among the elderly, who have a reduced ability to regulate their body temperature.

--IANS

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