The Japanese government urged people in and around Tokyo to use less electricity on Monday as it warned supplies will be strained as the country faces a heatwave.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects “strong” demand for electricity this afternoon local time.
It said people should turn off unnecessary lights but still use air conditioning to avoid heat stroke.
Officials have been warning of a power crisis as temperatures rise for weeks.
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said excess power generation capacity is expected to fall to 3.7% in Tokyo and eight surrounding prefectures as of Monday afternoon. He sees a buffer of 3% as necessary for a stable power supply.
The government asked people to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours from 3:00 p.m. Tokyo time (07:00 a.m. BST) while “proper use is made of air conditioning and hydration during the hot hours.”
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Although electricity suppliers are working to increase supply, the ministry said the situation is “unpredictable” as temperatures rise.
“In the event of increasing demand and sudden supply shortages, the reserve margin will fall below the required minimum of 3%,” it said.
Japan’s electricity supply has been strained since an earthquake in its northeastern region in March forced some nuclear power plants to shut down.
Officials have also shut down several aging fossil-fuel power plants to cut carbon emissions.
These problems, together with an increase in electricity demand, have led to an electricity shortage.
Earlier this month, the Japanese government urged households and businesses to conserve as much electricity as possible during the July-September summer season.
Over the weekend, the Japanese city of Isesaki, 85 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, recorded the highest temperature the country has ever seen in June.
Meanwhile, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that 46 people in Tokyo had been hospitalized on suspicion of heat stroke as of Sunday afternoon.
It also said a 94-year-old man in the nearby town of Kawagoe was believed to have died from the disease.
The news comes after Australian officials urged households in New South Wales – a state that includes the country’s largest city, Sydney – to turn off their lights amid a power crisis. Restrictions on Australia’s wholesale energy market were lifted late last week.
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