People wearing face masks for protection against coronavirus walk under the glaring sun in Tokyo's Ginza shopping area, Japan on June 25, 2022. The city of Isesaki in Gunma Prefecture registered 40.2 C the same day, a national record high temperature for June, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Photo: AFP

Japan braced for a possible power crunch on Monday as temperatures climbed across the country and the rainy season ended in the Tokyo area at its earliest point since 1951, raising fears of a long, hot summer amid fuel price rises.

The Japanese government warned that electric power supplies in the Tokyo area will be strained on Monday as scorching heat batters the area with record temperatures. Officials called for power conservation, especially in the afternoon.

Surging electrical prices because of soaring fuel costs after Russia's military operation in Ukraine are making life hard for Japanese consumers less than two weeks before an election for the upper house of parliament. A power shortage could batter the fortunes of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), already under fire for how it has handled higher consumer prices.

"We encourage people to cut back on energy use to a reasonable degree, such as by turning off lights that aren't being used, while also using air conditioners during particularly hot hours and exercising caution so as not to get heat stroke," deputy chief cabinet secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki told a news conference.

In Tokyo and eight nearby prefectures in eastern Japan, excess generating capacity will drop to as low as 3.7 percent from about 4:30 to 5 pm on Monday, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on Sunday.

Reuters