Government strengthens heatstroke prevention plan to reduce death toll to less than 1,000

The government will review its implementation plan for heatstroke prevention. The government aims to reduce the number of deaths due to heat stroke, which exceeds 1,500 per year due to record-breaking heat, to ``less than 1,000 as soon as possible.'' The government will also consider a goal of increasing the number of municipalities that have designated ``designated heat evacuation shelters (cooling shelters)'' to 100% by 2030.

Cataract risk doubles due to heatstroke, triples for those in their 30s, analysis of 2.4 million people - Nagoya Institute of Technology, etc.

It will be revised within FY2016 based on discussions at the Central Environment Council (an advisory body to the Minister of the Environment). The current plan sets a medium-term goal of halving the number of deaths, which averaged about 1,300 over the five years up to 2022, by 2030.

However, the number of deaths is on the rise, reaching a record high of 2,160 in 2024. The next plan includes a policy of ``first of all, aiming to bring the number below 1,000 as soon as possible,'' and the medium-term goal will be revised.

The government is also considering a goal to increase the percentage of municipalities that have designated public and private facilities equipped with air conditioning equipment as cooling shelters to 100% by 2030. So far, about 70% of municipalities nationwide have designated a total of about 23,000 locations, but the number will increase further in order to strengthen heatstroke prevention measures. Cooling shelters will be opened when a ``Heatstroke Special Warning Alert'' is announced, which calls for caution when unprecedented and dangerous heat is expected.

The next plan will include policies for public-private efforts to reach out to elderly people who are at high risk of heatstroke. Heatstroke prevention measures will also be strengthened at agricultural work and construction sites.