Hokkaido in Northernmost Japan Hit by Unusual Summer Heat

Sapporo, Aug. 13 (Jiji Press)--An unusual scorching heat that hit the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido in July has severely affected residents' health and the local dairy industry.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the temperature hit a record high of 39 degrees Celsius in Kitami on July 24, while Obihiro marked 38.8 degrees the same day, tying the city's record.

In Hokkaido, the average temperature in July was 4.8 degrees higher than normal.

The prefecture said that 2,066 heatstroke sufferers were taken to hospital between May and July, up from 951 in the same period last year.

The heat has affected dairy farms, a main industry of the prefecture.

A dairy farmer in the Tokachi region in eastern Hokkaido said that Holstein cattle have a low tolerance to heat and that many cows at the farm showed signs of summer fatigue, lying down and not moving, with their tongues out.

The farm has introduced ventilation equipment and large fans at barns, but the amount of milk produced decreased more than 10 pct from the normal-year level. This is a "heavy blow," the farmer said.

The Kitami government has installed air conditioners in the city's 36 public elementary and junior high schools over the recent two years.

This year, the city opened 13 cooling shelters for locals to escape from heat, as some public facilities and homes still do not have air conditioning.

Hokkaido has a total of 573 cooling shelters in 73 of its 179 municipalities, according to the prefectural government. It has concluded a contract with a major supermarket operator, encouraging municipalities to use 140 local stores as cooling shelters.

"As the extraordinary heat is also expected in August, please prevent heatstroke by taking in water and salt and staying in a cool place," a prefectural official said.

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