"Japanese firms take steps to protect outdoor workers as heatwave sizzles on", 8 July 2025

Japan endured another day of a searing heatwave...with temperatures soaring to the highest this year in Tokyo...

The extreme heat, which has become a norm in summertime Japan, has turned into a major workplace hazard, prompting the government to roll out labor safety regulations from last month requiring companies to implement protection measures against heatstroke.

Employers are now required to ensure employees wear clothing that allows air to pass through easily, to install a ceiling to block sunlight and to provide a break space with air-conditioning or shade...

Construction workers are particularly at risk of heatstroke. They accounted for nearly 20% of deaths or illnesses caused by heatstroke in the workplace in 2023, labor ministry data showed. The overall number of heatstroke cases at work more than doubled that year from a decade ago.

"In the past, we didn't wear air-conditioned jackets or anything like that and there weren't as many cases of people collapsing (due to heat stroke) as there are now," said Takami Okamura, 57, who has been a construction worker for 34 years.

"In recent years, air-conditioned jumpers and other such items have become a necessity, which makes me realize just how hot it gets."