TOKYO, June 27, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's government warned Monday of a power

crunch as extreme heat hits the country, with temperature records toppling
and Tokyo's rainy season declared over at the earliest date on record.

Residents in and around the capital have been asked to conserve energy,
particularly in the early evening.

Temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) are forecast in
Tokyo throughout Monday, and the mercury is not expected to drop below 34
until Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

"We ask the public to reduce energy consumption during the early evening
hours when the reserve ratio falls," Yoshihiko Isozaki, deputy chief cabinet
secretary, told a regular press briefing.

But he warned that residents should do what was needed to stay cool and avoid
heatstroke.

Much of Japan would normally be experiencing rainy season at this time of
year, but the JMA on Monday declared the season over in the Kanto region,
home to Tokyo, and neighbouring Koshin area.

It was the earliest end to the season since records began in 1951 and a full
22 days earlier than usual.

The agency also declared an end to rainy season in central Japan's Tokai and
part of southern Kyushu, saying this year's rainy season in these areas and
Kanto-Koshin was the shortest on record.

On Sunday, Isesaki city in Gunma prefecture north of Tokyo logged the hottest
temperature ever seen in Japan in June, at 40.2C.

"Immediately after the rainy season ends, many people are yet to be fully
acclimated to heat and face a greater risk of heat stroke," the weather
agency warned in a statement.

Asako Naruse, 58, was out sightseeing in Ginza alongside pedestrians carrying
parasols for shade.

"Every year, July and August are this hot, but it's the first time I've felt
such heat in June," she told AFP.

"I'm from northern Japan, so these temperatures seem really extreme."