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July 12, 2026
 

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AIR CONDITIONERS

Marine Le Pen speaks during a political rally of the French far-right National Rally political party on May 1. The National Rally has repeatedly voted against measures meant to slow climate change, but is pushing air conditioning with an eye toward next April’s presidential election.
WORLD
Jul 2, 2026
France’s far right pledges 40 million air conditioners as heat turns political
Across Europe air conditioning is a new battleground as officials grapple with how to adapt aging infrastructure to debilitating heat as the climate changes.
People shop for fans and air-conditioning units in Paris in May.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2026
As Europe roasts in a heat wave, Asia’s air-con makers see robust business
Air conditioning is rare in Europe and people are struggling to stay cool as ‌searing heat ‌claims lives, disrupts power supplies and shuts schools.
A woman uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun while walking on London's Oxford Street as Britain experienced record temperatures disrupting schools and transport networks on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jun 24, 2026
Europe wilts under record heat as air conditioner sales soar
France’s national temperature indicator reached 29.8 C on Tuesday — the hottest since measurements began in 1947.
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has issued a warning over a rise in air conditioner repair scams.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 23, 2026
Consumer affairs watchdog raises alarm over air conditioner repair scams
The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is urging people to be on alert for offers to repair broken air conditioners that sound too good to be true.
An experiment shows how stripping the insulation from an air conditioner cord and connecting the cord with another cable can lead to fire.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2026
Consumers warned of fire risks in areas around air conditioners ahead of summer
Safety experts have received many reports of air conditioner fires that were unrelated to product defects, and are flagging the risk before use increases through summer.
Tokyo’s push for cooler office attire has sparked backlash in Japan, where conservative workplace norms still shape office culture and critics say shorts and sandals do not belong in the workplace.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 1, 2026
Tokyo wants you to wear shorts to work. Say no.
While the image of the suit-and-tie salaryman endures, in recent years summer office fashions have become much more casual.
A poster at a Bic Camera store in Tokyo’s Yurakucho district on May 22 encourages customers to buy air conditioners before prices rise.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2026
Rush to buy air conditioners in Japan before pricier models hit next April
The new models are expected to be pricier to meet the updated energy standards set to kick in next April, with some manufacturers already phasing out their older models.
Naphtha shortages and a shrinking labor force mean those buying a new air conditioning unit may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month to have it installed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 20, 2026
Installation delays and price hikes hit air conditioners just before summer
Fears of naphtha shortages and a smaller labor force mean those buying a new air conditioner may pay more than last year and then be forced to wait up to a month for installation.
The "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion" at the Osaka Expo on Thursday. Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture aims to relocate the pavilion to a site in the city after the event ends on Oct. 13.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2025
Reuse pavilions and equipment, Osaka Expo organizer urges
The organizer is encouraging local governments and companies to reuse buildings and equipment including air conditioners and lighting.
Summers in Japan have grown hotter and hotter, and people have had to spend more money as a result.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 25, 2025
Tokyo household budgets further squeezed by heat wave
On average, monthly expenses are up more than $23 a month as a result of high temperatures.
A commuter uses a portable fan on an underground train at rush hour during a heat wave in the City of London financial district.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2025
As temperatures soar in London, regulations, not costs, put cooling beyond reach
The British capital has seen a surge in demand for air-conditioning units in high-end homes as climate change raises summer temperatures.
The rise in household consumption spending in Japan in June was driven by a 30.1% jump in spending to buy automobiles and motorcycles, and higher electricity bills.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 8, 2025
Japan’s household spending rises 1.3% in June
The average spending by households with two or more members was ¥295,419 ($2,000).
Women use parasols to shelter from the sun on a hot summer day in Berlin on July 2
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 27, 2025
Germans are finally embracing air conditioning, even renters
Most homes in Germany — and in northwest Europe — don’t have AC and haven’t really needed it until heat waves became more frequent in recent years.
Many areas across Japan experienced maximum temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or higher on multiple days in June.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2025
Record number of people sent to hospital for heatstroke in June, data shows
Of those hospitalized, 10,342 were age 65 or over, accounting for about 60% of the total.
Pedestrians at the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in Tokyo on Tuesday. The weekly number of people taken to hospital with heatstroke has exceeded 10,000 for the first time this year as summer temperatures soar.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 9, 2025
Over 10,000 people sent to hospital last week due to heatstroke
Last week’s number is more than double of that a week earlier.
The National Police Agency has drafted stricter identification rules for secondhand metal dealers in order to prevent the resale of stolen goods.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2025
NPA to toughen ID rules for metal dealers amid surge in stolen AC units
The National Police Agency drafted amendments that would require metal dealers to verify sellers’ identities and keep transaction records for three years.
India's air conditioner market is set to grow from the current 14 million units to 30 million units in terms of volume by 2030, driven by hotter summers and rising disposable incomes.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 13, 2025
Indians buy 14 million air conditioners a year, and need many more
A record 14 million AC units were sold in India last year, with a ninefold increase in residential ownership forecast by midcentury.
A staff member holds a barocaloric material used by Barocal in their solid state cooling technology, at their headquarters in Cambridge.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 13, 2025
U.K. lab promises air conditioner revolution without polluting gases
Approximately 2 billion air-conditioner units are in use worldwide, and their number is increasing as the planet warms.
Supervisor David Lindsay in the chilling plant beneath the headquarters of the United Nations in New York
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 13, 2025
As world heats up, U.N. cools itself the cool way — with water
As more and more people want to stay cool in a planet that is steadily heating up, energy experts point to this kind of water-based system as a good alternative.
Students sit under a misting system during recess at Hikarigaoka Haru no Kaze Elementary School in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Society / Boiling Point
Sep 16, 2024
Japan’s schools battle to keep kids cool, with or without AC
With extreme heat affecting both health and study, schools are racing to plug AC gaps while experimenting with creative, cheaper solutions.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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