Tokyo warned of power crunch as Japan endures heat wave
Tokyo warned of power crunch as Japan endures heat wave
TOKYO -
People in Tokyo are sweating it out as the government warns of possible power shortages and urges greater efforts to conserve energy while Japan endures unseasonably hot temperatures.
Weather officials announced the earliest end to the annual summer rainy season since the Japan Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1951. The rains usually temper the summer heat, often well into July.
The sultry temperatures would be considered mild compared to some South and Southeast Asian countries. But they are adding to worries over power shortages over the summer. Some coal-fired plants serving the region were taken offline for repairs after a strong earthquake in mid-March. The government warned of potential problems in late March, though no actual outages occurred.
The economy and industry ministry urged people living in the region serviced by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. to conserve power in the afternoons, especially when demand peaks at 4-5 p.m.
Kaname Ogawa, director of electricity supply policy at the ministry, said electicity demand Monday was bigger than expected because the temperature exceeded Sunday's forecast. A similar warning was issued for Tuesday.
“We are struck by unusual heat for the season,” Ogawa said. “Please cooperate and save as much power as possible.”
Ogawa, however, said people should use air conditioning appropriately and take precautions against heat stroke.
Heat stroke is a big concern since many older Japanese tend to avoid using air-conditioning, partly out of habit and partly to avoid running up big electricity bills. Older Japanese homes also tend to lack insulation and are stifling hot in the summer and very cold in the winter.
TEPCO said it was expecting contributions from the Tohoku Electric Power Co., which serves Japan's northern prefectures, to help ease the crunch.
The Japanese archipelago has seen record high temperatures for June in some areas. In Isezaki, north of Tokyo, the temperature rose to 40.2 Centigrade (104.4 Fahrenheit) on Saturday, the highest ever for June. Temperature in downtown Tokyo rose to nearly 35C (95F) on Monday , higher than the forecast Sunday of 34C (93F).
With humidity at about 4 per cent, temperatures felt still warmer.
With hot air coming from a powerful high atmospheric pressure system stalled over the Pacific Ocean, high temperatures were expected through early July, the meteorological agency said.
More than 250 people were taken to hospitals in Tokyo over the weekend for treatment of heat stroke, according to the Mainichi newspaper.
The power supply is relatively tight after Japan idled most of its nuclear reactors after 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima. Japan. It also has been closing down old coal plants to meet promises for reducing carbon emissions.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government has been pushing to restart more nuclear reactors that have passed upgraded safety standards.
Japan also faces a potential shortage of fossil fuel imports amid sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is testifying before the House of Commons transport committee this afternoon about ongoing airport delays and flight cancellations.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person to be tapped to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
A 81-year-old Danish woman traveling from Africa to Canada was arrested at Warsaw airport on suspicion of illegal possession of heroin worth over US$515,000, officials in Poland said Friday.
A prominent Quebec cardinal is denying sexual assault allegations against him contained in a class-action lawsuit that was formally filed this week in Quebec Superior Court.
Nunavut's acting minister of community and government services says the territory has declared a state of emergency in Iqaluit to ensure the city can begin replenishing its water reservoir without delay.
As students across Canada gear up to enter what will be their fourth academic year in the pandemic, CTVNews.ca takes a look at what measures will be in place in schools, by province and territory.
As of today, individuals and businesses are no longer able to import restricted handguns into Canada, with limited exceptions. The move announced earlier this month is aimed at expediting a key pillar of the federal effort to cap the number of handguns in the country.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is testifying before the House of Commons transport committee this afternoon about ongoing airport delays and flight cancellations.
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
A prominent Quebec cardinal is denying sexual assault allegations against him contained in a class-action lawsuit that was formally filed this week in Quebec Superior Court.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Friday she had taken a drugs test following the publication of video footage this week that showed her partying with friends, and vowed she had never used illegal drugs.
A judge refused to grant bail Thursday to the man accused of trying to kill Salman Rushdie as the acclaimed author prepared to give a talk in western New York.
Ukraine's health care system struggled for years, but war has only made things worse. Care is being provided in the hardest-hit areas by doctors who have refused to evacuate or have rushed in as volunteers, putting themselves at great risk.
British national El Shafee Elsheikh was sentenced to life in prison Friday for his role in an ISIS scheme that took roughly two dozen Westerners hostage a decade ago.
A 81-year-old Danish woman traveling from Africa to Canada was arrested at Warsaw airport on suspicion of illegal possession of heroin worth over US$515,000, officials in Poland said Friday.
A Michigan judge on Friday blocked county prosecutors from enforcing the state's 1931 ban on abortion for the foreseeable future after two days of witness testimony from abortion experts, providers and the state's chief medical officer.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is testifying before the House of Commons transport committee this afternoon about ongoing airport delays and flight cancellations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hinting that an energy pact planned between Canada and Germany will focus more on Canada's aim to be a long-term clean energy supplier to the world.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person to be tapped to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Health Canada is authorizing a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between five and 11 years old.
The next phase of Ontario's 'Plan to Stay Open' involves transferring of seniors from hospital to alternative long-term care homes, the hiring of thousands of health-care workers and a pledge to reduce surgical backlog.
Amazon appears to be getting the TikTok bug, joining other companies seeking to hold consumers' attention by introducing replicas of the popular social platform.
A woman who says she was sexually abused hundreds of times by R. Kelly before she turned 18 testified Friday that she agonized several years ago about whether to cooperate with federal investigators who were looking into child abuse allegations involving the singer, but that she ultimately did because she didn't want to 'carry his lies.'
A Chinese-born Canadian tycoon who disappeared from Hong Kong in 2017 was sentenced Friday to 13 years in prison for a multibillion-dollar string of financial offenses and his company was fined US$8.1 billion, a court announced.
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
Lab-grown diamonds have become so popular with consumers that some couples are asking jewelers to swap the natural diamond in their rings for a lab-created sparkler.
A Toronto-based disability advocate is using the power of TikTok to raise awareness over the lack of wheelchair accessibility at many restaurants and bars.
Two years after a secret bike park deep in an Ontario forest was discovered and later demolished, new dirt jumps are opening just a stone's throw away.
Felix Auger-Aliassime earned a berth into the quarterfinals Thursday with a comeback win over Jannik Sinner at the Western & Southern Open Masters-level tennis tournament.
Vanessa Bryant, widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, took the witness stand Friday in her federal lawsuit against Los Angeles County over photos taken and shared by first responders of the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, their teenage daughter and seven others.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will serve an 11-game unpaid suspension, pay a US$5 million fine and undergo professional evaluation and treatment as part of a settlement with the NFL following accusations of sexual misconduct by two dozen women.
She may only have her learner’s licence, but that hasn’t held a 16-year-old Comox Valley, B.C., teen back from working towards her goal of being a professional driver. Nicole Haverda got the green light on her desire to be a professional race car driver four years ago when her father took her to a Formula One race in Europe.
