Japan is hit by record temperatures after experiencing the shortest rainy season in its history. The government fears an energy shortage and the city of Tokyo calls on its inhabitants to save electricity.
With our correspondent in Tokyo, Frederic Charles
Temperatures of 35°C, humidity of 80%, Tokyo has never experienced such heat in June. About a hundred kilometers from the capital, the thermometer reached 40°C on Sunday in the town of Isesaki. Tepco, the operator of the Fukushima plant which is also Tokyo’s main electricity supplier, warns that it will be difficult to meet demand. Several of its thermal power stations are shut down.
air conditioners
The city of Tokyo calls on its residents to save electricity as much as possible between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. This is the time of day when Tepco’s power reserve is lowest. Also the one where the air conditioners are running at full speed. Between July and August, the government fears, throughout the country, a shortage of electricity.
Relaunch nuclear
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is determined to restart the nuclear reactors still shut down. Barely ten have been in operation since the Fukushima accident. In total, 80% of Japanese companies are in favor of restarting reactors for economic and environmental reasons. At its lowest point for twenty years, the yen makes imports of oil, gas and coal prohibitive.
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