Never leave kids, pets in cars as temps can hit dangerous levels, even in north Japan: JAF

SAPPORO — The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)'s Sapporo branch is warning people not to leave children or pets inside cars as temperatures can quickly rise to dangerous levels even in the supposedly cool northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido.

“People tend to think that Hokkaido is safe compared to the capital (Tokyo) region, but the inside of a closed car can become hot in a short of time. Be careful of heatstroke,” the branch urges.

Ahead of the Bon holiday period in mid-August, the hottest season of the year, there has been trouble with children and pets being left in cars with locked doors. According to the JAF branch, between June and August last year there were 59 incidents of children or pets being locked in cars in Hokkaido that led to the JAF's dispatch. In many cases, the lock button was pressed by a child who had been given the key, or a dog or other animal accidentally stepped on the lock button on the driver's side door. And there have already been 34 such cases this year in June and July.

The JAF has found that the temperature inside a car rises to heatstroke levels within 15 minutes after the air conditioner is turned off. Children, animals and the elderly, who have difficulty adjusting their body temperature, need to be especially careful to avoid heatstroke and dehydration, and the JAF urges people not to leave them in the car while thinking “just for a while” or “because they are sleeping,” among other reasons.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, “hot summer days,” when the mercury hits 30 degrees Celsius or above, are forecast in various areas in Hokkaido including the cities of Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa and Furano until mid-August.

(Japanese original by Haruka Ito, Hokkaido News Department)