Less than two weeks ahead of an election for the upper house of parliament, surging electrical prices are making life tougher for Japanese customers
A power shortage could batter the fortunes of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party , already under fire for its handling of higher consumer prices.
“The supply-demand outlook, based on the latest weather forecast and other factors, is still expected to remain below the 5 per cent reserve ratio during some evening hours,” the official added. He advised turning off lights not in use, limiting use of air conditioners and guarding against the risk of heat stroke.“It’s not that I don’t get what the government’s saying, but they want us to save electricity and still use air conditioning – which seems contradictory,” said Kenichi Nagasaka, 61.
The heat is suspected to have caused two deaths at the weekend, one of a man in his 40s who collapsed outdoors, media said.