Nearly 2,500 taken to hospital for heatstroke in week to July 15

Drink plenty of water and take it easy on the booze, since alcohol is a diuretic.

Twelve students at a primary school in Tokyo’s Tama city were taken to hospital on Wednesday after they complained of headaches and difficulties in breathing during a game of dodgeball outside, local media said.

Seriously, what kind of school will allow kids to play dodgeball outside when it's hot as hell out?! The number of heatstroke is high every summer. Do these people not learn?! Stay your butt indoors if you can and drink lots of water. There is no need to "muri suru" or "gaman"! The whole "summer is supposed to be hot" mentality isn't helping kids and elderly deal with the heat.

And where were most of these people? Outside. 83 year old guy out in his rice field? For the love of god! When will people here learn??

The intelligence level is astounding. What sort of rocket scientist lets kids play strenuous games outside in this weather. Schools are supposed to care for the kids while in their care, if l was the parents l would be seeking legal advice over this. Nothing short of negligence on the part of the school and the teachers.

It really is time that officials in this country woke up and looked around and its time people actually started to use their brains. If it is so hot dont do strenuous activities outside its really that simple.

Cletus....well said. Japan seems to run on autopilot...if it`s on the schedule then it will be followed through regardless. Not an ounce of common sense.

As General Mac Arthur once said "the Japanese have the mentality of 12 year-olds.

Brother Rabbit, you said it!

Japan seems to run on autopilot...if it`s on the schedule then it will be followed through regardless. Not an ounce of common sense.

If it's on the schedule they will do it, whatever.

I went to Tokyo last week. OMG! The guys in three piece suits, neckties and SHOES! Dripping sweat! No wonder there are ads for Athlete's Foot on TV in the summer! The traditional footwear is geta, or zori, open sandals. I was refused entry to a bar in Kichijoji once because I was wearing sandals!

Bringing in the lawyers (the American way) wouldn't solve the problem, it would just add to it and make it even more complicated. The cause of the problem is the mind programming system that passes for education in Japan.

It prevents individual thought (and I believe it is designed to do so). As Japanese children go through Junior High School and High School they get less and less opportunity to express themselves. And with the juku system on top of all this, most of them spend their adolescent lives sucking up vast amounts of totally useless and inapplicable data.

Anyone with any real creativity doesn't make it through the system. And if a child shows musical or artistic ability, he/she is given a "teacher," who makes sure the last spark of creativity is kept well under control.

How many famous composers, artists, musicians, people exhibiting original thought has this country produced? (Especially considering it has a population double that of the U.K.)

What this system produces is a "yes-man," a good robot. He doesn't question his orders and he does exactly what he is told. He has lost any creativity, initiative and ability to think and make his own decisions that he started with.

So, with high humidity and temperatures way above 30 degrees celsius, he works a long day at the office in a three piece suit, shoes and socks. To make it slightly, he turns up the air conditioning, pumping out hot air into the street and wasting energy. He has athlete's foot because of the shoes and socks he has to wear because everybody else is wearing them, and buys medicine to try to control the fungus. If he has a hobby, it will probably be the same hobby that other guys in the office have, golf, mahjong, watching TV.

Scrap the education system and redesign it from the bottom up and this problem could be solved.

Probably not much likelihood of that ever happening though!

Ho hum.

I was in Costco yesterday, felt like I was being broiled to death! It was about 30 degrees yesterday in Fukuoka and they turned on the A/C to 28 degrees, I just don't get it. But I agree, I know people want to save money, but at what cost? Doing any sports event in extremely hot weather is NOT GOOD and if you do, get plenty of water and sports drinks. Schools should do 10 min breaks throughout practices in order to get the kids rehydrated and get in the shade if you can. Also, I see a lot of people, old and young and a lot of women that wear a lot of clothing, I know people here can get worried about the sun, but overprotecting yourself like that can also lead to other problems in this stressful heat.

I wouldn't blame the people taken to the hospitals for heatstroke. They just don't know better.

If this happens out of just ignorance, imagine what can happen if there is a power outage. KEPCO is already above the expected numbers and they were forecasting 90% use; we may even see 92-93% use and start getting into the range of "hope this heat wave ends soon or there won't be enough power left over".

Sadly a couple of people have died and no doubt there were one or two unavoidable cases of heatstroke requiring hospitalisation but, don't you think that the whole thing is just over sensationalised hype or a form of mass hysteria? People live and work, kids play sports in far hotter climates than Japan without problems. The world does not stop or collapse from so-called heatstroke just because the temperature goes over 30 degrees.

Good thing they don't live in Australia where a string of days over 40 happens a few times each summer. And that includes on the south coast, not the tropical north. "Toughen up, people." And don't do dumb stuff when it's that hot.

And there will be MORE while protesters use the electrons to ride the rails to next protest meeting.

noriyosan73, This article is neither about protests, nor about electrons/electricity.

Aircon smaircon,

I think most people that suffer heatstroke do so after exerting them selves outdoors.

We still have not run our aircon for a single minute this year, just keep calm, stay in the shade, stay cool and drink enough. And wear a hat, if you have to go outside.

@ Ms. Alexander: Seriously, what kind of school

What do you expect from a system that produces drones. Common sense is not in their mental or vocal vocabulary. And yes, drone like teachers really are that incompetent???

The parents should go to the school and ask questions and demand answers. And REFUSE the age old BS reply of "We used to do it when we were kids at school"......

People generally tend to their rice paddies very early or late in the day during summer, but it's still essential that people hydrate themselves. Kids, though, don't know any better and should be made to wear proper, wide-brimmed hats like Aussie school kids, and told to drink water regularly. The school is as fault if kids need medical treatment after a game of dodge ball.

@Ms.Alexander

There is no need to "muri suru" or "gaman"! The whole "summer is supposed to be hot" mentality isn't helping kids and elderly deal with the heat.

Spot on.

One third of comments are blaming this sadness on something Japanese rather than the heat. Meanwhile, alas, 300-400 die of hear per year in the USA (CDC figures) and there are "about a thousand deaths a year in Australia due to heat stress and related illnesses."

If electricity charges are high, just change all your lighting to fluorescent. You will cut your bill by at least one third.