The government has decided to launch a new cross-ministerial countermeasures meeting to strengthen measures against heat stroke, which kills more than 1,000 people a year, at the first meeting on the 25th, as soon as possible. The policy is to decide on an action plan that includes the goal of reducing the annual death toll to 1,000 or less.
As the heat in the summer becomes more severe, the number of people who died of heat stroke in Japan has exceeded 1,000 for the third consecutive year until last year, and countermeasures are urgently needed.
For this reason, the government has set up a new cross-ministerial countermeasures meeting to promote heat stroke countermeasures, and plans to hold its first meeting on the 25th to decide on future action plans.
The draft action plan aims to reduce the annual death toll to less than 1000 as soon as possible, with a medium-term goal of turning to a marked decline.
Then, related ministries and agencies will cooperate on measures for the elderly, who account for 80% of the death toll, in cooperation with local governments and regions, and the "heat stroke warning alert" that will be operated nationwide from the new fiscal year. It includes disseminating information and encouraging actions to prevent heat stroke.
The government plans to reflect the decided action plan in more concrete policies from the new fiscal year onward to strengthen measures against heat stroke.