Tokyo to waive basic water bills to combat extreme heat

Japan will waive basic water bills will for Tokyo residents this summer to combat the impact of extreme heat, the government said.

Last summer was the joint hottest on record in Japan as extreme heatwaves fuelled by climate change engulfed many parts of the globe.

“The basic fee will be waived for four months,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters Tuesday, adding that households would save an average of 5,000 yen ($35).

The government aims to reduce the inflation burden on households, and encourage the use of air conditioning to prevent heatstroke.

“We hope to create an environment where Tokyo residents can live safely even in the expected heatwaves,” Koike said.

Every summer, Japanese officials urge the public, especially elderly people, to seek shelter in air-conditioned rooms to avoid heatstroke.

Senior citizens made up more than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years.

Pensioners are harder hit by rising electricity bills, and some elderly Japanese believe that air conditioning is bad for health.

The Tokyo government has budgeted 36.8 billion yen to cover around 8 million households -- or a population of 14 million. Water costs above the basic fees will be charged as usual.

In an unrelated development, Japan’s agriculture minister was forced to resign on Wednesday because of political fallout over his recent comments that he “never had to buy rice” because he got it from supporters as a gift. The resignation comes as the public struggles with record high prices of the country’s traditional staple food.

Taku Eto’s comment, which many Japanese saw as out of touch with economic realities, came at a seminar Sunday for the Liberal Democratic Party, which leads a struggling minority government. The gaffe could be further trouble for the party before a national election in July. A major loss could mean a new government or could mean Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba would have to step down.

“I made an extremely inappropriate remark at a time when consumers are struggling with soaring rice prices,” Eto told reporters after submitting his resignation at the prime minister’s office.

Agencies