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Coronavirus Jitters Rattle Businesses, Industries, Organizations — 2020 Olympics, Airlines Included
06 February
Business
Medical staff are seen at a makeshift hospital converted from an exhibition center in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 5. Xinhua / Xiong Qi / Getty Images
Efforts to contain the Wuhan coronavirus and fears that it can spread and form a global pandemic have slowed industries around the world.
Shipping is delayed, cars and electronics are stalled on the assembly line, and commodity markets around the world are predicting losses because of the virus. Fears around the virus even have Olympic officials worried that it could impact Tokyo's planning for the summer games scheduled for the end of July, according to CNN.
<p>In Japan, 45 people have been infected with the novel virus so far, including 20 on a Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan. </p>
<p>"I am extremely worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the momentum toward the Games," Toshiro Muto, chief executive of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, said according to Japanese public broadcaster <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200205/k10012273461000.html" target="_blank">NHK</a>, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/asia/japan-coronavirus-fears-olympics-hnk-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reported</a>. "I hope that it will be stamped out as soon as possible."</p>
<p>While the Olympics are nearly six months away, a more immediate impact is felt in global shipping which has faced a slowdown because of the coronavirus, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/business/shipping-coronavirus-impact/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN Business</a>.</p>
<p>Nearly 80 percent of the world's goods are transported by sea and China is home to seven of the 10 busiest container ports. Nearby, Singapore and South Korea also have large ports. </p>
<p>The lockdown on certain cities and worries over the virus spreading means factories are shut and dockworkers are staying home. That stops many durables like cars and machinery as well as apparel and other consumer staples from getting shipped around the world, meaning the disruption could reach far beyond China, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/business/shipping-coronavirus-impact/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN Business</a>. </p>
<p>Car manufacturer Hyundai has already suspended production at a South Korea plant because it can't get the parts it needs.</p>
<p>"A closure of the world's manufacturing hub impacts container shipping at large, as it is a vital facilitator of the intra-Asian and global supply chains," Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, an international shipping association, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/business/shipping-coronavirus-impact/index.html" target="_blank">said to CNN Business</a>. "This will affect many industries and limit demand for containerized goods transport."</p>
<p>The mobile device industry is already feeling the effects. Just this week, industry giants LG and ZTE both announced that they would skip parts or all of the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona this month, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/4/21123169/lg-electronics-mwc-2020-cornavirus-cancel-withdraw-outbreak-concern" target="_blank">according to The Verge</a>. </p>
<p>"With the safety of its employees and general public foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain. This decision will prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised," an LG spokesperson <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/4/21123169/lg-electronics-mwc-2020-cornavirus-cancel-withdraw-outbreak-concern" target="_blank">said in a statement given to The Verge</a>.</p>
<p>While global industries try to protect themselves from the coronavirus, it may have a positive effect on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/emissions">emissions</a>. Airlines are cancelling flights between China and the U.S., as well as between Hong Kong and the U.S., <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/02/us/coronavirus-us-travel-restrictions/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN Travel</a>. There has been a 30 percent decrease in flights to and from China. Key international airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa, American Airlines, United Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines, suspended or reduced flights due to the outbreak, <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/commodity-tracker-coronavirus-and-commodity-markets" target="_blank">according to S&P Global</a>.</p>
<p>That has led to a decrease in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil">oil</a> demand, sending the price of crude oil plummeting. There has also been sharp declines in the price of liquid <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/natural-gas" rel="noopener noreferrer">natural gas</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/palm-oil" rel="noopener noreferrer">palm oil</a>, <a href="http://ecowatch.com/tag/copper" rel="noopener noreferrer">copper</a> and iron. The reduced demand may actually be a boon to emissions targets.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/commodity-tracker-coronavirus-and-commodity-markets" target="_blank">S&P Global noted</a> that even a one percent drop in China's annual CO2 emissions from energy consumption would amount to 96 million metric tons of carbon removed from the atmosphere, which is equivalent to France's annual regulated CO2 emissions.</p>
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Mountain Fuji and industry zone seen from Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. Prasit photo / Moment / Getty Images
Japan is planning to build as many as 22 new coal plants at 17 different sites over the next five years, The New York Times reports, a sharp uptick in coal-fired power as the rest of the world eases off coal and looks to cut emissions.
<p>The projects would collectively emit as much carbon dioxide per year as all of the passenger cars sold in the U.S. Activists say that the Japanese government allowed one of the projects, in Yokosuka, to get the green light without proper environmental review after the country was forced to close its nuclear program because of the Fukushima disaster in 2011. The coal plants are coming as the Japanese government touts the environmental friendliness of this summer's Tokyo Olympics. </p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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Spraying chemicals on rice crop in Japan. Stockbyte / Getty Images
Scientists announced today that pesticide use on rice fields led to the collapse of a nearby fishery in Lake Shinji, Japan, according to a new study published in the journal Science.
<p>The long-term <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6465/620.full" target="_blank">study</a> seems to have borne out the prophecy of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/environmental-books-2639126474.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">Rachel Carson's seminal 1962 book Silent Spring</a>, in which the author describes the nefarious trickle down effects of chemical pesticides that could "still the leaping of fish." While it is impossible to say that the use of pesticides caused the collapse of the fishery, the correlation is extremely strong.</p>
<p><br/></p>
<p>The researchers looked at the degradation of the food chain around rice paddies after the introduction of the pesticide <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/neonicotinoids" target="_self">neonicotinoids</a> in 1993 in Japan. The study showed an immediate decline in insect and plankton populations in Lake Shinji after the pesticide was sprayed in nearby rice fields, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The decline in insects and plankton then led to the collapse of eel and smelt populations, which rely on the tiny insects for food. The scientists looked at other possible causes for the collapse of the smelt and eel fisheries, but those were all ruled out. The scientists say there is "compelling evidence" that neonicotinoids are the culprit, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The pesticide has previously been linked to declines in pollinator populations. Researchers have found that it lowers the sperm count of bees and shortens their lifespan, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/popular-insecticide-lowering-sperm-count-honey-bees-1946236241.html" target="_self">EcoWatch</a> reported. Its role in colony collapse disorder and in declining butterfly populations caused the European Union to ban the world's most popular insecticide for all outdoor use in 2018, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-environment-bees/eu-to-fully-ban-neonicotinoid-insecticides-to-protect-bees-idUSKBN1HY11W" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>Previous studies have also linked ripple effects of the pesticide's application to cause collapses of mayflies, dragonflies and snails. A Dutch <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13531" target="_blank">study found</a> that bird populations declined where the insecticide was sprayed. In that case, the absence of swallows, starlings and tree sparrows does not mean they were dying, but possibly moved to riper feeding grounds.</p>
<p>By contrast, the study is the first time a potential link has been shown between the insecticide and its effect on other animals, including vertebrates, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/aaft-fil102819.php" target="_blank">according to a press release</a> from the American Association for The Advancement of Science.</p><p>The year that the insecticide was first applied, 1993, coincided with an 83 percent decrease in the average amount of springtime plankton. A year later, the smelt harvest collapsed from 240 tons per year to just 22 tons in a single year, <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6465/620.full" target="_blank">according to the study</a>. Additionally, the midge, <em>Chironomus</em> <em>plumosus</em>, which smelt also feed on, was one of the worst affected bugs. It vanished completely from all 39 locations sampled in 2016, despite being abundant in 1982.</p><p>The researchers noted that Rachel Carson's book was prophetic. In their paper, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>, the Japanese researchers said how "she wrote: 'These sprays, dusts and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests and homes – nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad', to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams.' The ecological and economic impact of neonicotinoids on the inland waters of Japan confirms Carson's prophecy."</p><p>"This disruption likely also occurs elsewhere, as neonicotinoids are currently the most widely used class of insecticides globally," worth more than $3 billion per year, they said, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian reported</a>.</p><p>The German company Bayer is the world's largest producer of neonicotinoids.</p><p>"The annihilation of humble flies and the knock on effects on fish serve as further testament to the dreadful folly of neonicotinoids," said Matt Shardlow, from the charity Buglife, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/31/fishery-collapse-confirms-silent-spring-pesticide-prophecy" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. "Let's hope this is a wake-up call for Asian countries and they move to quickly ban the chemicals from paddyfields."</p>
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Damage in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, Japan following Typhoon Hagibis. STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP via Getty Images
At least 42 people have died and 15 are missing after Typhoon Hagibis swamped Japan Saturday, bringing record rainfall that flooded more than 1,000 homes, The Washington Post reported.
<p>It was the worst storm to hit the country in decades, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-50037907" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>, and more than 110,000 people are now assisting with the rescue efforts.</p><p>Kenichi Nakajima, a 58-year-old farmer from Sakado-shi- Akao, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/world/asia/japan-typhoon-hagibis-dead.html?auth=login-google&emc=edit_MBE_p_20191014&instance_id=13054&login=google&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=88631294ion%3DwhatElse&section=whatElse%3Fcampaign_id%3D51&segment_id=17857&te=1&user_id=d8eb7cee9d3c5ab39515239b6ec54d19" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> that the extent of the damage was "abnormal."</p><p>"Recently, a girl made a speech about global warming, and as she was crying she said, 'We have no future,'" he said, in reference to Swedish climate activist <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greta-thunberg" target="_self">Greta Thunberg'</a>s <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/greta-thunberg-speech-trump-2640574963.html" target="_self">speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in September</a>. "She is absolutely right."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Typhoon <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hagibis</a> has cleared <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Japan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Japan</a>. It dumped nearly 1m of rain in 24hrs in some parts! This timelapse shows it nearing the coast through to its remnants racing back into the Pacific.<br><br>Full length HD video from formation to decay here : <a href="https://t.co/IuVTL2Oi9b">https://t.co/IuVTL2Oi9b</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TyphoonHagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TyphoonHagibis</a> <a href="https://t.co/uOaPb8XSoG">pic.twitter.com/uOaPb8XSoG</a></p>— The Weather Chaser (@weatherchaser) <a href="https://twitter.com/weatherchaser/status/1183271505376886784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate crisis</a> is making <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/hurricanes" target="_self">hurricanes</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/typhoons" target="_self">typhoons</a> both <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-crisis-hurricanes-wetter-2639175731.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2" target="_self">wetter</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/hurricanes-and-the-climate-crisis-2640136387.html" target="_self">more intense</a>, since warmer ocean temperatures provide more fuel and warmer air can hold more moisture.</p><p>Hagibis was classified as a "super-typhoon," the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/super-typhoon-hagibis-japan-2640915591.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1" target="_self">when it was 900 miles from Japan</a>. When it made landfall at 7 p.m. Saturday in Ito, the winds had fallen to 130 miles per hour, according to The New York Times. But the rain was intense. In the town of Hakone, more than 3 feet fell in 48 hours, a record for Japan, according to BBC News.</p><p>All that rain caused at least 142 rivers to flood across the country, NHK said, according to The New York Times. Levees on 21 rivers collapsed, including one on the Chikuma River that caused massive <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding" target="_self">flooding</a> in Nagano City.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hagibis</a> blows through Japan<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hagibis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Typhoon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Typhoon</a><a href="https://t.co/xZHPRNU5fb">https://t.co/xZHPRNU5fb</a> <a href="https://t.co/ohunClvuJx">pic.twitter.com/ohunClvuJx</a></p>— NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHKWORLD_News/status/1183206036330684416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>In Nagano prefecture, rescue workers wore snorkels and goggles to search for survivors in waist-high water, BBC News reported.</p><p>While the capital of Tokyo took a direct hit from the storm, it survived relatively intact, with much of the damage elsewhere.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ghost town //<br>Shibuya at 6pm before a typhoon <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tokyo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tokyo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/neon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#neon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hagibis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TyphoonHagibis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TyphoonHagibis</a> <a href="https://t.co/EL6d14tY7z">pic.twitter.com/EL6d14tY7z</a></p>— Alex Knight // AGK42 (@agkdesign) <a href="https://twitter.com/agkdesign/status/1183023045125890049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p>Ahead of the storm, the government had urged more than seven million people to evacuate, but only around 50,000 are believed to have stayed in shelters. As of Monday, around 92,000 homes were without power and 120,000 had lost water.</p><p>"I extend my condolences for all those who lost their lives and offer my sympathy to all those impacted by the typhoon," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, as The Washington Post reported. "The government will do everything in its power to cooperate with relevant agencies and operators working to restore services as soon as possible."</p><p>The storm led to the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches, though Japan's match against Scotland took place as planned, and Japan won to advance to the quarter finals for the first time, BBC News reported.</p><p>"Everyone who is suffering with the typhoon, this game was all for you guys. The crowd was massive for us, and today was more than just a game," national team coach Jamie Joseph said after the win.</p><p>Canadian rugby players, whose match against Namibia was canceled, decided to use their time pitching in with recovery efforts, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-storm-japan-rugby-canadians/canadian-rugby-players-help-typhoon-recovery-efforts-in-japan-idUSKBN1WS09C" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"What we want to do today, if we can, is get out in the community and help. We've been hosted so well. We want to give back all we can," captain Tyler Ardron told Reuters.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tokyo's Typhoon Faxai: 3 Dead, 40 Injured, 900K Homes Without Power <a href="https://t.co/lJiHYqr5pk">https://t.co/lJiHYqr5pk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Typhoon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Typhoon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Extremeweather?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Extremeweather</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Typhoonfaxai?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Typhoonfaxai</a> <a href="https://t.co/GdZmlfFlzP">pic.twitter.com/GdZmlfFlzP</a></p>— Renewable Search (@RenewableSearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RenewableSearch/status/1171113317252730881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Rugby World Cup tournament chiefs demonstrate to the media the potential impact of typhoon Hagibis as they announce match cancellations at a press conference held on Oct. 10 in Tokyo. David Rogers / Getty Images Sport
Japan has suffered a brutal stretch this summer — deadly heat waves and downpours and a typhoon that blew through Tokyo leaving travelers stranded. Now the worst seems to approaching this weekend as a super typhoon is on track to batter the country's main island on Saturday, potentially causing grave damage, as the New York Times reported.
<p>The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center has classified Hagibis as a "super typhoon," which is the equivalent of a category five hurricane — by far the strongest of the 2019 season. A storm with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour is considered a super typhoon. Hagibis, which is about 900 miles away from Japan, has sustained winds of 160 mph. The winds are expected to die down to about 90 mph when the storm strikes Japan, but it will include heavy rains, according to Brandon Bukunt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tiyan, Guam, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/world/asia/japan-typhoon-hagibis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront" target="_blank">New York Times reported</a>. </p><p>Japan is still reeling from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/typhoon-faxai" target="_self">Typhoon Faxai</a> in September, which severely damaged Japan's Chiba prefecture and knocked out power to 900,000 homes. That storm left 13,000 people stranded at Tokyo's Narita International Airport.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" id="twitter-embed-1171113317252730881" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1171113317252730881&created_ts=1568050147.0&screen_name=RenewableSearch&text=Tokyo%27s+Typhoon+Faxai%3A+3+Dead%2C+40+Injured%2C+900K+Homes+Without+Power+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FlJiHYqr5pk+%23Typhoon%E2%80%A6+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FmI7aszrBaj&id=1171113317252730881&name=Renewable+Search" frameborder="0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YE8HV21576661333"></iframe><p>Hagibis is expected to hit Japan's central and eastern regions, including Tokyo. To prepare sports events and domestic flights have been canceled. Sandbags have been distributed to minimize the damage of potential storm surges, as the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5d638cfb21094a969f13a37549ead042" target="_blank">AP</a> reported.<br></p><p>Organizers of the Rugby world cup have already cancelled two matches for Saturday. A marathon in the northern part of the country has been canceled, and a Formula One race in the central part of the country, according to the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5d638cfb21094a969f13a37549ead042" target="_blank">AP</a>.</p><p>It is a testament to Hagibis power that Japan, the third-most typhoon-prone country in Asia, which sees on average 11 typhoons approaching and two direct hits every year, is taking outsized preparations for the storm. Not only is Hagibis the strongest typhoon of the season, it is enormous, means the wind and the rains will arrive earlier than the storm and last longer than other typhoons, as Japan's national broadcaster <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/710/" target="_blank">NHK</a> reported.</p><p>The storm also coincides with a time when the sea levels will be high. The combination of the high tide, giant waves and storm surges could trigger significant coastal flooding, according to <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/710/" target="_blank">NHK</a>.</p><p>"If it hits Tokyo Bay like some of the current forecasts are saying, then it's going to be a multibillion dollar disaster," said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist with the magazine Scientific American, as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/world/asia/japan-typhoon-hagibis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=sectionfront" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reported.</p><p>Japan celebrates Sports Day on Monday, which means it has a three-day holiday weekend. While the holiday usually sees a lot of travel, this year will be different. Airlines and train services anticipate cancellations. East Japan Railway Co. said it might suspend services on most local lines and bullet trains around Tokyo before the typhoon arrives. All Nippon Airways said it is grounding all domestic flights Saturday in and out of Tokyo's Haneda and Narita international airports. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines will closely monitor the storm and may cancel flights as early as Friday, according to the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5d638cfb21094a969f13a37549ead042" target="_blank">AP</a>.</p><p>Local offices in Chiba prefecture, which is still rebuilding from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/typhoon-faxai" target="_self">Typhoon Faxai</a> started to distribute free sandbags to protect against anticipated flooding. The city also warned residents to expect power outages from typhoon damage and to stock up on food and water, while making sure their cell phones were fully charged, as the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5d638cfb21094a969f13a37549ead042" target="_blank">AP</a> reported. </p>
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Japan's New Environmental Minister Calls for Closing Down All Nuclear Reactors to Prevent Another Disaster Like Fukushima
13 September 2019
Energy
Japan's newly-appointed Environment and Nuclear Disaster Minister Shinjiro Koizumi enters the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Sept. 11. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP / Getty Images
Japan's new environmental minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, called Wednesday for permanently shutting down the nation's nuclear reactors to prevent a repeat of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, comments that came just a day after Koizumi's predecessor recommended dumping more than one million tons of radioactive wastewater from the power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
<p>Koizumi was appointed to his position Wednesday as part of a broader shake-up of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet. He is the 38-year-old son of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/07/former-japan-pm-junichiro-koizumi-accuses-abe-lying-over-fukushima-pledge" target="_blank">vocal critic</a> of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/nuclear" target="_self">nuclear energy</a>.</p><p>"I would like to study how we will scrap them, not how to retain them," the younger Koizumi, whose ministry oversees Japan's nuclear regulator, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/12/japan-should-scrap-nuclear-reactors-after-fukushima-says-new-environment-minister" target="_blank">said</a> during his first <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6QDKs8OmVo" target="_blank">news conference</a> late Wednesday. "We will be doomed if we allow another nuclear accident to occur. We never know when we'll have an earthquake."</p><p>In March of 2011, a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant on Japan's northeastern coast, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee radiation around the plant. It was the world's second-worst nuclear disaster, after Chernobyl.</p><p>After the disaster, all 54 of Japan's nuclear reactors were shut down. <em>Reuters</em> <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1VX01M" target="_blank">reported</a> Wednesday that "about 40 percent of the pre-Fukushima fleet is being decommissioned" and only six reactors are currently operating. Amid drawn out <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/27/japanese-prosecutors-demand-5-years-prison-executives-facing-trial-fukushima-nuclear" target="_blank">legal battles</a> over the impacts of the meltdown, campaigners have ramped up opposition to nuclear power generation in the country.</p>
<p>However, some Japanese politicians, including the current prime minister, have argued that nuclear energy is necessary to meet national climate goals. Japan's new trade and industry minister, Isshu Sugawara, criticized Koizumi's call to shutter the country's reactors. "There are risks and fears about nuclear power," Sugawara said. "But 'zero-nukes' is, at the moment and in the future, not realistic."</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/12/japan-should-scrap-nuclear-reactors-after-fukushima-says-new-environment-minister?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">According to</a><em> The Guardian</em>:</p><blockquote>Japan's government wants nuclear power to comprise 20 percent to 22 percent of the overall energy mix by 2030, drawing criticism from campaigners who say nuclear plants will always pose a danger given the country's vulnerability to large earthquakes and tsunamis.<br>Abe, however, has called for reactors to be restarted, arguing that nuclear energy will help Japan achieve its carbon dioxide emissions targets and reduce its dependence on imported gas and oil.</blockquote><p>Despite Abe and Sugawara's stances, "the government is unlikely to meet its target of 30 reactor restarts by 2030," due to local opposition and legal challenges, noted <em>The Guardian</em>.</p><p><em>The Telegraph</em> <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/12/japanese-rising-star-environment-minister-says-country-should/" target="_blank">reported</a> Thursday that Koizumi "was a surprise addition" to Abe's cabinet, considering that the new minister "has expressed sharp differences with senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party since he was first elected in 2009 and supported a rival in the most recent election for party president."</p><p>Polls <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-politics-reshuffle-profiles-fac/profiles-of-key-japanese-cabinet-ministers-in-new-posts-idUSKCN1VW0MD" target="_blank">often indicate</a> that Koizumi is considered a popular contender to serve as the next prime minister—and Abe's choice to appoint him to the cabinet, according to <em>The Telegraph</em>, is "seen as an effort to give a new generation of politicians an opportunity to learn the ropes of government."</p>
<p>Koizumi replaced Yoshiaki Harada, who made headlines around the world earlier this week. Responding to a projection from Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) that the utility will run out of storage space for contaminated groundwater around the Fukushima plant around the summer of 2022, Harada <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/10/plan-release-radioactive-fukushima-wastewater-pacific-ocean-panned-critics" target="_blank">suggested</a> during a news conference Tuesday that "the only option will be to drain it into the sea and dilute it."</p><p>As <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/10/plan-release-radioactive-fukushima-wastewater-pacific-ocean-panned-critics" target="_blank">reported</a> Tuesday, Harada's comments were swiftly condemned by critics of nuclear energy both in Japan and around the world as well as the neighboring government of South Korea.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/12/japans-new-environmental-minister-calls-closing-down-all-nuclear-reactors-prevent?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>. </em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
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Japan May Dump Radioactive Fukushima Water Into the Pacific in 'Only Option' of Disposal
10 September 2019
Oceans
This picture taken on Jan. 31, 2018 from an observatory room shows storage tanks for contaminated water at the Tokyo Electric Power Company, Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture. BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP / Getty Images
The operator of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant may have to dump huge amounts of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. The company no longer has room to store it, said Yoshiaki Harada, Japan's environment minister, today, as Japan Today reported.
<p>Eight years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered Japan's worst nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which is 160 miles north of Tokyo, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has continued to pump water in to cool fuel cores. Once it is used and contaminated, the water is put into storage, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/asia/japan-environment-minister-fukushima-water-hnk-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. </p>
<p>TEPCO has collected more than 1 million metric tons of contaminated water used to cool the nuclear reactor. "The only option will be to drain it into the sea and dilute it," said Harada at a news briefing in Tokyo, as <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/national/TEPCO-will-have-to-dump-radioactive-Fukushima-water-into-Pacific-minister-says" target="_blank">Japan Today</a>. "The whole of the government will discuss this, but I would like to offer my simple opinion."</p>
<p>Harada did not say how much water would need to be released into the ocean.</p>
<p>However, in a separate press briefing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, said Harada's comments were "his personal opinion."</p>
<p>"There is no fact that the method of disposal of contaminated water has been decided," said Suga, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/asia/japan-environment-minister-fukushima-water-hnk-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported. "The government would like to make a decision after making thorough discussion," he said.</p>
<p>TEPCO is not able to say what will be done with the contaminated water, but will have to wait for a government decision, a spokesperson said, as <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/national/TEPCO-will-have-to-dump-radioactive-Fukushima-water-into-Pacific-minister-says" target="_blank">Japan Today</a> reported. </p>
<p>Besides releasing the water into the ocean, other options include storing it on land or vaporizing it, according to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/10/fukushima-japan-will-have-to-dump-radioactive-water-into-pacific-minister-says" target="_blank">Guardian</a>.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="150" scrolling="no" id="twitter-embed-1171404421856661504" src="/res/community/twitter_embed/?iframe_id=twitter-embed-1171404421856661504&created_ts=1568119552.0&screen_name=BBCWorld&text=Radioactive+water+from+Fukushima+nuclear+plant+may+have+to+be+released+into+Pacific%2C+Japan+says+https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FfEz3JDUyTg&id=1171404421856661504&name=BBC+News+%28World%29" frameborder="0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="URGSKX1576661484"></iframe><p>Dumping the waste into the ocean will anger local fisherman and Japan's neighbors.</p><p>Last month, South Korea's government minister for environmental affairs, Kwon Se-jung, summoned Tomofumi Nishinaga, head of economic affairs at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, how the Fukushima water would be handled, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/asia/japan-environment-minister-fukushima-water-hnk-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>"The South Korean government is well aware of the impact of the treatment of the contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the health and safety of the people of both countries, and to the entire nation," said a South Korean ministry press release.</p><p>"We're just hoping to hear more details of the discussions that are under way in Tokyo so that there won't be a surprise announcement," said a South Korean diplomat to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-fukushima-water-idUSKCN1VV0CC?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_content=5d7746964b188d00011c07cf&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook" target="_blank">Reuters</a>. The diplomat requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of bilateral discussions.</p><p>Six years ago, when Tokyo won the bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assured the Olympic Committee that waste and contamination from Fukushima was under control. Now, the country is facing renewed pressure to address its contaminated water problems before next summer's games, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/10/fukushima-japan-will-have-to-dump-radioactive-water-into-pacific-minister-says" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>The Japanese government has spent over $320 million to an underground barrier to prevent groundwater from reaching the three damaged nuclear reactors. However, the wall has only reduced the flow of groundwater from about 500 metric tons to around 100 metric tons per day, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/10/fukushima-japan-will-have-to-dump-radioactive-water-into-pacific-minister-says" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported.</p>
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Medical personnel ride an inflatable boat over floodwaters to reach a hospital following heavy rains in Omachi, Saga prefecture on Aug. 29. JIJI PRESS / AFP / Getty Images
Floods and landslides triggered by record-setting rainfall in southern Japan have forced authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes and another one million were advised to move to safety on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
<p>In just 48 hours, Kyushu Island received more than twice its average rainfall for the entire month of August.</p><p>By Thursday morning, three people were dead and one was missing on Kyushu Island, while the Japan Meteorological Agency said the torrential rains were finally expected to diminish in the south today, according to the <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/08/a8015a832535-update1-downpours-in-western-japan-spark-highest-level-landslide-flood-alerts.html" target="_blank">Kyodo News</a>, but heavy rains and lightning would hit large swaths of northern and western Japan.</p><p>The rains soaked Kyushu Island with alarming speed, soaking some areas with over 4 inches of rain in just one hour. The downpours caused rivers to swell in Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/28/asia/japan-flooding-evacuation-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>Dramatic images showed residents in knee deep water and cars half-submerged after several rivers breached their banks on Wednesday, according to the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/at-least-two-killed-as-torrential-rains-spark-floods-and-japan-a4222661.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a>.</p><p>"I woke up and the water was ankle-deep in my house, which has never happened before," one man in an evacuation center told NHK Japan's national broadcaster, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-rain/record-rain-in-south-japan-brings-flood-chaos-kills-at-least-two-idUSKCN1VH2M0" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported. "So I played it safe and evacuated early before things got any worse."</p><p>An elderly man was found dead after his car was washed away by floodwaters in Takeo city, Saga Prefecture, said the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Two more people were seriously injured, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/28/asia/japan-flooding-evacuation-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>. Meanwhile, <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/08/a8015a832535-update1-downpours-in-western-japan-spark-highest-level-landslide-flood-alerts.html" target="_blank">Kyodo News</a> reported that a 96-year-old woman was found dead in a flooded home in Takeo city. One man died after being swept away when he stepped out of his car. Another woman was found unconscious after her car fell into a waterway, the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/at-least-two-killed-as-torrential-rains-spark-floods-and-japan-a4222661.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a> reported.</p><p>The Japanese military deployed troops to help with rescue efforts, evacuation and disaster relief after a request from the local government in Saga prefecture, according to the <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/at-least-two-killed-as-torrential-rains-spark-floods-and-japan-a4222661.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a>.</p><p>The flooding and mudslides crippled transportation, as the Japan Rail Saga station was underwater. JR Kyushu, the national railway operator in the area, suspended or delayed almost all train services due to heavy rain, according to a statement posted on its official website, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/28/asia/japan-flooding-evacuation-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-rain/record-rain-in-south-japan-brings-flood-chaos-kills-at-least-two-idUSKCN1VH2M0" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported that Twitter users posted video of muddy brown streams running down the streets.</p><p>"The first floor of our house is flooded and a total wreck, so we're here on the second floor, awaiting rescue," one person posted on Twitter. "We can see the firemen out there moving around, but our street is such a mess they don't seem to want to come in."</p><p>This is not the first flooding disaster to hit the area this summer. In July, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/asia/japan-heavy-rainfall-intl-hnk/index.html" target="_blank">more than a million</a> people on Kyushu Island were ordered to evacuate orders after the area was slammed with nearly a month's worth of rain in a single day, which killed one woman in Kagoshima city, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/28/asia/japan-flooding-evacuation-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Historic Floods in Japan Kill More Than 100, Force Millions to Flee <a href="https://t.co/IBuF1iCBLj">https://t.co/IBuF1iCBLj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateCentral?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ClimateCentral</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/gpj_english?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gpj_english</a></p>— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/status/1016443178206007296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Tuna auctions are a tourist spectacle in Tokyo. Outside the city's most famous fish market, long queues of visitors hoping for a glimpse of the action begin to form at 5 a.m. The attraction is so popular that last October the Tsukiji fish market, in operation since 1935, moved out from the city center to the district of Toyosu to cope with the crowds.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Spectators can now watch the auction of fresh and frozen tuna from a specially designed Tuna Auction Observation Deck. Because tuna, which can weigh up to 650 kilos (1,433 pounds), is definitely the star of the show. This year a giant bluefin sold for $3.1 million (€2.77 million) at Toyosu, smashing previous records.</p><p>Yet as <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/seafood" target="_self">seafood</a> tourism in Japan booms, global fish stocks are <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/cetaceans/threats/fishstocks/" target="_blank">plummeting</a>. Bluefin tuna is among the worst affected — it's now one of the most <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/overfishing">over-exploited fish</a> in the ocean, with all three bluefin species <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species" rel="noopener noreferrer">endangered</a>.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMDYyODc1Mi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTAwOTU0M30.9IjcaClWfRQXV8rsuc_tpJusDoGVXXfNPC1D2OsbVM4/img.jpg?width=980" id="f7070" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="367bd566cc86babe2ecc892f0c92967e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Tuna is the star of the show: The meaty fish is in such high demand that stocks have come under severe pressure.
<p>Following the Olympics' focus on sustainable food in Rio and London, Japan is under pressure to provide eco-friendly seafood to the huge numbers of visitors expected in Tokyo for the 2020 games.</p><p>"We want to establish sustainable seafood elements," said Wakao Hanaoka, founder of Tokyo-based sustainable seafood consultancy, Seafood Legacy. "We want to use this 2020 Olympics as a chance to boost acceleration of the movement in Japan."</p><p>Right now, that's no easy task.</p><h2>Tuna off the Menu</h2><p>Japan is one of the world's biggest consumers of seafood, at around 33 kilos (approximately 73 pounds) per capita in 2016, Euromonitor. By comparison, Italians consumed 16 kilos per capita in the same year.</p><p>To serve seafood certified as sustainable by the internationally recognized Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) to visitors during the games, Japan would have to rely mainly on imports. The country has just one MSC-certified sustainable seafood restaurant.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMDYyODc1OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTkyMjY5N30.80LLK0bP_01Vgmoya__YG2DU3dtrgLiXJ3c9WeXL5RI/img.jpg?width=980" id="d5b36" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d79f263846ca024c01eed1bb2371402f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Lively trade: In Tokyo, the fish market isn't just big business, it's become a tourist attraction.
<p>Restaurant Blue opened its doors in 2017. The chefs use just two local MSC/ASC-certified products, and get the rest from overseas. One thing you definitely won't find at the restaurant is tuna, said Kota Shibai, who works at both the Tokyo eatery and Seafood Legacy.</p><p>"Many customers ask me why there is no tuna at Restaurant Blue … I think it's a great opportunity to explain about the situation of the Japanese fisheries industry," Shibai said. "At the moment, the situation of Japanese tuna is a bit far from sustainability."</p><h2>Bluewashing Japanese Fisheries</h2><p>This is news to many consumers. Hanaoka from Seafood Legacy says raising awareness is key to protecting fish stocks. "Many Japanese don't want to eat up all the fish from the ocean, they just don't realize yet [that stocks are so low], " he said.</p><p>Yet even for those in the know who want to protect the future of their country's favorite cuisine, critics say labeling can be confusing.</p><p>Japan has its own sustainable certification standards: industry groups introduced MEL in 2007 and AEL in 2014, which fisheries have taken up far more enthusiastically than the international certifications.</p><p>That's because they are far easier to achieve. Isao Sakaguchi, a law professor specializing in fisheries at Tokyo's Gakushuin University says the bar is so low that, "theoretically any wild-capture fisheries and aquaculture farmers can be certified as 'blue' by the local schemes" — blue denoting marine <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability">sustainability</a>.</p><p>A Pacific bluefin tuna fishery was certified by MEL in 2015, even as bluefin tuna numbers were at historic lows. The fishery would never have passed the tests to be certified by MSC, Sakaguchi said, calling this "bluewashing."</p>
<h2>Mixed Signals From Government</h2><p>The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee's guidelines for serving "sustainable fishery products" in the Olympic and Paralympic villages and other Tokyo Game's venues says MEL and AEL fishery products satisfy <a href="https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sustainability/data/commentary-fishery-EN.pdf" target="_blank">sustainable criteria</a>. </p><p>Hanaoka and Seafood Legacy, meanwhile, have been looking into how organizers might provide seafood that meets higher standards of sustainability. Last year, Hanaoka visited London to find out how the 2012 Olympics ensured its fish and chips could be enjoyed guilt-free.</p><p>Turns out, they only offered two types of fish, which is fine for Britain's favorite takeout, but difficult to apply in Japan, where visitors will be eager to try sushi that includes as many as 10 to 20 species in a single dish.</p><p>"Mostly we are importing, so when we welcome guests from foreign countries to Japan, we serve sushi and it's a set of imported products and endangered species – that's not something to be proud of as Japanese people," said Hanaoka</p><p>The Japanese government has signaled that it's beginning to take this situation seriously. In December last year the biggest of its fishing laws for 70 years was enacted, which includes more limits on what can be caught, as well as recovery plans for overfished species.</p><p>"The government is slow but it's starting to tighten up its legislation," said Hanaoka. "Bit by bit, it's getting better."</p><p>Yet Japan's commitment to marine <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" rel="noopener noreferrer">conservation</a> looks a lot less convincing since the country resumed commercial whaling in July, after a 33-year moratorium.</p><p>For now, Tokyo's tourists and sports fans will have to choose carefully if they want to be sure they aren't eating threatened species. Most local catches might be off the menu, but among the glittering array of produce at the Toyosu fish market, sea urchin and flying squid are tipped as good bets for flavor and sustainability.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eating Seafood Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, But Some Fish Are Better Than Others <a href="https://t.co/GcsvrqZYxE">https://t.co/GcsvrqZYxE</a> <a href="https://t.co/Oyzmj1bQLg">pic.twitter.com/Oyzmj1bQLg</a></p>— Azula (@azula) <a href="https://twitter.com/azula/status/968383463580667904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/is-the-2020-olympics-an-opportunity-for-japan-to-tackle-seafood-sustainability/a-50004198" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>
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People walk in the street during a hot day in Tokyo's district of Ueno on August 7. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP / Getty Images
While the worst of this summer's heat seems to have passed in the U.S. and Europe, Japan is in the throes of a dangerous heat wave.
<p>The end of the rainy season last week brought a dangerous heat wave that claimed the lives of 57 people in Japan and sent tens of thousands to the island nation's hospitals for heat related illness, the <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/06/national/57-dead-18000-taken-hospitals-one-week-amid-japan-heat-wave/#.XUre65NKjaa" target="_blank">Japan Times</a> reported. </p>
<p>The week that started on July 29 saw triple the number of heat-related hospitalizations as the week before. At 18,347, that's the second highest number since heat-related records started in 2008, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, as the <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/06/national/57-dead-18000-taken-hospitals-one-week-amid-japan-heat-wave/#.XUre65NKjaa" target="_blank">Japan Times</a> reported.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.jma.go.jp/en/week/" target="_blank">Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)</a> said the surge in hospitalizations, deaths and people collapsing from heat stroke is partly due to people's bodies, which adapted to the cool weather of the rainy season and did not sweat much, have been unable to cope with the sudden spike in temperature, according to the <a href="https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005918615" target="_blank">Japan News</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.jma.go.jp/en/week/" target="_blank">JMA</a> said a seasonal rain front lingered over Honshu from late June to mid-July. Plus, a high pressure system in the Sea of Okhotsk also brought cold winds from the north, resulting in cloudy, cool weather across the country, as the <a href="https://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005918615" target="_blank">Japan News</a> reported. That ended abruptly.</p><p>From July 1 to July 23, one person died in Japan from heat stroke. The following week, the official end of the rainy season, saw 11 deaths when temperatures reached 98.6 degrees in central Japan, according to the <a href="https://www.jma.go.jp/en/week/" target="_blank">JMA</a>. Last week when 57 people died, temperatures in Kumagaya City and Isesaki City reached 101 degrees, while Fukushima and Osaka registered readings of 98 and Tokyo 95, according to the <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/08/06/Japan-heat-wave-has-killed-at-least-57-in-last-9-days/2041565106115/" target="_blank">UPI</a>.</p>
<p>While Japan suffered from more hot temperatures today, Japanese authorities asked residents to stay cool and hydrated since the heat is expected to last until September.</p><p>Last Sunday night, Yohei Yamaguchi, a 28-year-old part-time amusement park worker, died from heatstroke after practicing a dance routine outdoors in a mascot costume on Sunday night, the <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/30/national/11-dead-5600-people-sent-hospitals-japan-due-heat-related-issues/#.XUrpaJNKjab" target="_blank">Japan Times</a> reported.</p><p>Yamaguchi was rehearsing on an outdoor stage in Hirakata amusement park for about 20-minutes in a costume that weighed over 35 pounds when he lost consciousness lost consciousness around 8 p.m., according to police and reported by <a href="http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201907300030.html" target="_blank">The Asahi Shimbun</a>.</p><p>Deadly heat waves like this are becoming an annual occurrence in Japan, where authorities are lobbying to designate public facilities, shops and other places as "temporary rest areas" where people can take respite from the heat. Last summer, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency declared the extreme heat a natural disaster after 65 people died of heat-related medical conditions in one week and temperatures set a new record at 106 degrees Fahrenheit, as <a href="https://time.com/5639829/japan-heatwave-deaths-hospitalized/" target="_blank">Time</a> reported.</p>
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