More than 120 dead in Tokyo due to hottest July on record

In Tokyo, 123 people died from the heat in July. This was the hottest July on record in Japan, 2.2 degrees higher than the average for the past thirty years. In some places it became warmer than 40 degrees.

Many of the victims in Tokyo were elderly. All but two were found in the home. Most of the victims did not use the air conditioning, even if they had it. According to the Japanese authorities, many elderly people do not use air conditioning because they fear that it is not good for their health, writes the AP news agency.

Japanese authorities and weather stations had advised people to stay indoors, drink plenty of water and turn on the air conditioning.

More than 37,000 people in Tokyo and the surrounding area were hospitalized due to the heat. Meteorologists expect more heat in August, with temperatures of 35 degrees or higher.

This is the highest number of deaths from the heat since 2018, when 127 people died in Tokyo in July. That heat became official at the time declared a ‘natural disaster’.