English

When temperatures and humidity rise and the risk of heatstroke is very high, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of the Environment issue a “Heat Stroke Alert.” This year they will begin on April 27.

Explanation

Heatstroke refers to a condition where your body temperature rises, leading to an imbalance of water and salt in the body, as well as causing the body’s temperature-regulating mechanisms to fail. Symptoms include headache and muscle cramping, just to name a few.
「警戒」 means “caution” or “vigilance.” It refers to being watchful or ready, especially in preparation of danger or disaster.

English

Alerts are issued around 5 p.m. the day before high-risk days, and around 5 a.m. on high-risk days.

Explanation

「アラート(araato)」 comes from the English word “alert.” It’s a 「カタカナ語(katakanago)」, that is, a katakana loanword. It’s mostly used the same way as it is in English – to refer to a signal that warns people of a possibly dangerous situation. Often that warning is triggered when a certain indicator goes over a predetermined threshold.

English

Last year, they issued alerts 613 times between late April and late October.

Explanation

「出す(dasu)」 is a verb with many meanings. Often it refers to the act of taking an object out of something like a box or a closet. For example, 「プレゼントを箱から出す (Purezento o hako kara dasu)」 means “unbox a present.” In the phrase 「アラートを出す(Araato o dasu)」, 「出す」 means “to issue” in the sense of “put out or announce publicly.” For example, 「掲示板にお知らせを出す(Keejiban ni oshirase o dasu)」 means “put up a notice on a bulletin board.”

English

When an alert is issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of the Environment urge people to be more careful of heatstroke than usual.

English

They say it is important to remain indoors as much as possible, use air conditioning to keep rooms cool, drink water even if you are not thirsty, and refrain from exercising.

Explanation

「エアコン」 means “air conditioner.” It’s the abbreviated form of the katakana loanword 「エアーコンディショナー（eaa kondeishonaa）」. The Japanese language has many abbreviated loanwords like 「エアコン」. Another common one is 「パソコン（pasokon）」, which is the shortened form of “personal computer,” or in other words, a “PC.” Another one you’ll hear all the time in daily conversation is 「コンビニ（konbini）」, which is short for 「コンビニエンスストア（konbiniensu sutoa ）」, or “convenience store.”