Japanese Firms Launch New Items to Address Heat Wave

Tokyo, June 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese companies are introducing new products to help consumers cope with an expected heat wave this summer as the Japan Meteorological Agency predicts that average temperatures will be above normal across the country from June to August. Items such as clothes with cooling functions and portable multi-function fans are drawing attention, according to a trend forecast by Rakuten Group Inc., based on purchasing data from its Rakuten Ichiba online marketplace. Twenty-nine companies participated in an exhibition of products designed to address extreme heat in Tokyo on June 5. Tokyo-based Mechalink Inc., which produces fan-cooled clothing, showcased a backpack-type cooling item featuring a unique cooling unit that lowers body temperature with air that is up to 14 degrees Celsius lower than the outside air. “It’s completely different” from conventional air conditioning wear with only the air blowing function, Mechalink CEO Kiyotake Sugita said. The design of the product aims to protect outdoor workers from heat while also being suitable for daily wear, according to the company. SharkNinja G.K., a Tokyo-based electronics manufacturer, exhibited a portable fan that can be equipped with a device for mist spraying as well as a cooling plate, which lowers skin temperature by up to 9 degrees. Life on Products Inc., a household goods company based in Osaka, a city in western Japan, showed off an ice cream maker that creates ice slurry, or a sherbet-like drink. Users can easily make such a drink by placing their favorite beverage in a cup-shaped container cooled in the freezer and pressing a button, according to the company. A survey by organizations including Rakuten Group, covering 1,000 people in April and May, found that one in four respondents felt that the measures they took last year to cope with the summer heat were “insufficient.” Demand for heat-protection goods is likely to expand further. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]