Latest news with #Kagoshima
NHK
24-05-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Heavy rain forecast in western and eastern Japan along Pacific coast on Sunday
Weather officials are warning of torrential rain on the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan through Sunday morning. They are calling on people to be on high alert for possible landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, lightning strikes and gusty winds including tornadoes. The Meteorological Agency says a low-pressure system accompanied by a front brought rain to western Japan and elsewhere on Saturday morning. In one hour before and after noon on Saturday, more than 50 millimeters of rain fell in Kagoshima Prefecture. Rain clouds also developed over the Shikoku region. In Kochi Prefecture, 63 millimeters of rain fell in Tosashimizu City in the one-hour period through 5 p.m. Kuroshio Town, also in the prefecture, had 46 millimeters of rain between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The low-pressure system is expected to pass over western Japan to eastern Japan through Sunday. A warm, humid air mass will flow in toward the low and the front, making atmospheric conditions extremely unstable. Some parts of western and eastern Japan, especially along the Pacific coast, may see hourly rainfall of more than 50 millimeters accompanied by localized thunder through Sunday morning. In the 24 hours through Sunday evening, the Kinki and Tokai regions can expect up to 180 millimeters of rain, and Shikoku will get up to 150 millimeters. Kanto-Koshin will have up to 120 millimeters.
NHK
21-05-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Japan's season of heat and rain nears
As the clock ticks down to late May, Japan is bracing for its season of rain and heat. Officials in turn warn of the perils that accompany excessive humidity and scorching temperatures, and how to cope. Summer-like heat gripped eastern and western Japan on Tuesday due to sunny conditions brought by a high-pressure system, and warm air flowing in. The scorching temperatures are set to continue at least through Wednesday. By Tuesday afternoon, the temperature had soared to 34 degrees Celsius in Yamanashi Prefecture's Otsuki city, 33.5 degrees in the western Tokyo city of Hachioji, 33 degrees in Fukuoka Prefecture's Itoshima city and Hyogo Prefecture's Asago city. The temperature topped 30 degrees in central Tokyo for the first time this year. Officials warn people to take extra care to prevent heatstroke since their bodies still haven't adapted to high temperatures this early in the year. Recommendations include using air conditioners appropriately and drinking water frequently. The agency also says atmospheric conditions are extremely unstable in northern Japan. In the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture, rain clouds are developing due to warm, humid air flowing into the seasonal rain front. Care should be taken about lightning strikes, wind gusts and tornadoes, sudden downpours, and hail. Firms required to take heatstroke prevention steps Starting from June, businesses must take heatstroke prevention steps. This includes creating systems to detect workers suffering from heatstroke, offering first aid and cooling them down, and transporting them to hospitals immediately. Firms failing to do this will face penalties. These measures come as scorching heatwaves have become fatal in recent years. Last year, 120 people died and more than 97,500 were taken to hospitals due to heatstroke. Seminar on workplace heatstroke prevention In Tokyo, seminars taught businesses how to obey the new requirements. Firms rushed to take part. Company managers were instructed to check in with their staff periodically and also to pair workers up - so any problems due to heat can be spotted, and taken care of, quickly. Cooling outfits popular Work clothes equipped with cooling functions are increasingly popular. Ice Peltier vest One item is cooling vests in which an aluminum plate, known as a Peltier device, has been embedded. These went on sale from late March and have become a huge hit, with more than 20,000 sold so far. Half of the sales are from businesses, especially in the construction sector. T-shirts and jackets made from special fibers that use perspiration for cooling are also said to be selling well. Rainy season risk: food poisoning The rainy season is also something people should be aware of. The risk of food poisoning rises as harmful bacteria and viruses grow rapidly amid high humidity. Experts urge the most caution when temperatures rise to around 25 degrees Celsius on up to 40 degrees - levels at which harmful bacteria and viruses grow the fastest. The Ministry of Health says there are three basic principles to prevent food poisoning. The first is to prevent bacteria from sticking to food items. People are advised to use different knives and cutting boards for different food items. Meat and fish should be the final things to be cut, an additional way of minimizing contamination risks. Reusable shopping bags could also be a potential hazard. Leakage from packed meat, poultry, or seafood items placed directly in the bag could cause contamination if harmful germs cling to the bag. These reusable bags should be washed or sanitized. Avoiding contamination The second principle is heating foods thoroughly to kill bacteria. Experts say that if food and cooking equipment are heated at 80 degrees Celsius or higher for at least a minute, most of the bacteria that cause food poisoning will die. The third principle is chilling food to prevent bacteria from multiplying. It is an ironclad rule to refrigerate food rather than leaving it at room temperature. If you are planning to make bento lunchboxes and take them outside, it is important to let the food cool down before packing them - and to include ice packs for even more protection.
NHK
21-05-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Japan sweats through second day of summer-like conditions
People across much of Japan sweated through a second day of unseasonably hot weather on Wednesday. Temperatures soared past 30 degrees Celsius in some places on Wednesday morning. The highest temperatures up to 11 a.m. were in Toyama City, where the mercury reached 32.6 degrees, and Tottori City plus Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture, with 32.2 degrees. The Meteorological Agency says the conditions are being caused by warm air in the south that is circumventing a high pressure system as it flows toward a stationary front in northeastern Japan. They say coastal areas along the Sea of Japan are likely to see hot conditions. Temperatures are forecast to keep rising on Wednesday afternoon. Expected highs are 35 degrees in Matsumoto City, 34 degrees in Fukushima City, Toyama City and Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture, and 33 degrees in Tottori City. The temperature in central Tokyo is forecast to reach 30 degrees. Authorities issued the country's first heatstroke alert of the season for the Yaeyama region of Okinawa Prefecture, in the far south. They are advising people to use air conditioning, stay hydrated and consume a sufficient amount of salt. In parts of Kagoshima Prefecture in the country's southwest, there is a separate weather-related threat: Heavy rain from a seasonal rain front has raised the risk of landslides.
Japan Times
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
Japan's rainy season begins in southern Kyushu
Japan's rainy season appears to have begun in the southern part of the Kyushu region, the Meteorological Agency announced Friday. This is the first time since statistics began in 1951 that southern Kyushu has entered the rainy season earlier than any other region in Japan. The start of the rainy season in the region also comes 14 days earlier than usual, and 23 days earlier than last year. The announcement was based on preliminary results that may be corrected in definitive statistics to be released in early September. Rainy season usually arrives earlier in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture, and the Amami region, an island group belonging to the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima. This year, however, the Pacific high pressure system extends widely, making the seasonal rain front come on the northern side. The season may be advancing faster, due to westerlies over Japan running more northward than in an average year, according to the agency.
Japan Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
LDP and CDP see consumption tax cut as election issue
A possible cut to the consumption tax rate will be a campaign issue in this summer's election of the House of Councilors, key members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have said. In a speech in the city of Kagoshima on Sunday, LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama said: "What will be questioned in this election? One would be the consumption tax." He criticized opposition parties for advocating a consumption tax cut, saying, "In order to ensure social security, where are they going to seek financial resources for the consumption tax cut?" Moriyama emphasized, "As a responsible party, the LDP will carry out fiscal management without error for the future of the nation." CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda told reporters in Sapporo that if the ruling camp does not decide on the consumption tax cut, it would have to become an election issue. "The inaction (of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration) will be an issue," Noda also said, criticizing the administration's failure to offer a cash handout or a tax cut. The CDP has proposed to cut the consumption tax rate on food items to zero for a limited time. Japan's consumption tax currently stands at 10%, excluding food and some other items for which the tax rate is 8%.
