Japan Aims to Reduce Annual Heatstroke Deaths to below 1,000

Tokyo, June 27 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s government plans to set a goal of reducing annual heatstroke deaths to below 1,000 in a review of its current action plan. With annual deaths exceeding 1,500 on average in the five years to 2024 amid record-breaking heat waves, the government will say in a revised program that it aims to achieve the new target “as soon as possible,” sources familiar with the matter said. The current plan is expected to be updated by the end of fiscal 2026 based on discussions at the Central Environment Council, which advises the environment minister. Heatstroke deaths averaged about 1,300 in the five years to 2022, and the current plan has a medium-term goal of halving the annual number by 2030. The new plan will instead prioritize reducing the annual death toll to below 1,000 at an early time, as fatalities have continued to rise and reached a record high of 2,160 in 2024, the sources said. The government will also consider including in the revised plan a goal of raising to 100 pct by 2030 the proportion of municipalities that designate public and private facilities with air conditioning systems as cooling shelters where people can avoid dangerous heat, the sources said. So far, about 70 pct of all municipalities in the country have designated a total of some 23,000 cooling shelters. Cooling shelters will be opened when a special heatstroke alert is issued to warn of potentially unprecedented and dangerous heat. Moreover, the revised plan will include public-private efforts to support elderly people, who are at higher risk of heatstroke. Preventive measures at agricultural and construction sites will also be strengthened, according to the sources. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]