To tackle the growing risk of heatstroke amid increasingly severe summer temperatures, the government has decided to establish an additional alert level that will require local authorities to provide air-conditioned facilities for their residents.
Tentatively called a "heatstroke special alert," the new level will be set above the existing maximum of "heatstroke alert." The aim is for the new level to take effect in the summer of 2024.
The Environment Ministry and the Japan Meteorological Agency have been operating the heatstroke alert system since 2020. The wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index is calculated each day based on factors including temperature, humidity and solar radiation.
