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In the last 100 years, the average annual temperature of Japan has risen by a whole degree (Celsius), says the World Wildlife Fund. Moreover, the number of hot days, when the maximum temperature is more than 35 °C, is higher now than before, while the cold has become less extreme. Even the instances and duration of snowfall and the extent of ice in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk are reducing. With such rampant global warming, the Japanese population is suffering more than ever because it is simply not used to such hot conditions.

Moreover, by 2050, the annual mean temperature in the country is set to rise by 3 °C and, further, by 5 °C by 2080. According to P&S Intelligence, due to such climate change, the Japanese heat stress monitor market, which valued $1.98 million in 2020, is expected to reach $3.96 million by 2030, at a 7.05% CAGR between 2021 and 2030. This is because the changing weather conditions are leading to the rising number of heat stroke cases, which are often so severe that they require immediate transportation to the emergency room. 

As per the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan, between May and September 2018, 92,710 people in the country found themselves in the hospital due to heat stroke. This is why the government and many public and private agencies are recommending the usage of heat stress monitors to gauge the combined effect of heat and humidity on people in workplaces, stadia, and factories, so that those vulnerable to severe effects can be identified and taken care of before something really bad really happens.

In this regard, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan has mandated the measuring of the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) at workplaces and taking of appropriate actions if it exceeds the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) threshold limit values (TLVs) and those defined by ISO 7243. Due to this factor, the demand for wet-bulb heat stress monitors is more compared to dry-bulb variants.

Another among the MHLW’s recommendations is taking someone who is so incapacitated due to heat stress that they are unable to even drink water without assistance immediately to a medical care facility. As a result of these recommendations, heat stress monitors are being increasingly used in the manufacturing, mining and oil & gas, athletics & sports, military, recreational, warehouse, and foundry sectors. Currently, the highest demand for such devices is in manufacturing plants, where the temperature and humidity can be quite high for long periods.

Heat and furnaces are commonly used in factories for various purposes, which drastically raises the temperature of the surroundings. Moreover, the heavy protective clothing worn by people working with heat and furnaces makes the body temperature imbalance worse, and it also hinders sweating and breathing, all of which create the perfect conditions for severe heat illness. Moreover, since the lifting of the lockdowns implemented in the wake of COVID-19, manufacturing plants are reopening, which is driving the demand for heat stress monitors in the country.

Additionally, the usage of such devices is extremely high in the country’s athletics & sports sector, especially with the ongoing 2020 Olympics. As a result, Kanto is the most-productive region in the Japanese heat stress monitor market presently. The region is home to Tokyo, the 2020 Olympics host city, and almost a third of the country’s population. Additionally, Kanto is Japan’s industrial and financial heart, which creates a huge requirement for devices that can help gauge people’s vulnerability to heat illness in factories and other workplaces.

Thus, with the Japanese sun becoming hotter every year, the need for such devices is only going to increase.