, Columnist
Winter Is Coming. Japan Should Turn Up the Air-Con
Frosty dispute with South Korea requires an unlikely alternative to home kerosene heaters.
Let’s go huddle around the air conditioner and get warm.
Photographer: Hitoshi Yamada/NurPhoto/Corbis News/Getty Images
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For Japanese households, the coming winter may be even more bitter than usual.
An export ban by South Korea, stemming from disputes over restitution for women forced into prostitution under Japan’s 35-year occupation, could cause shortages and price spikes for kerosene, Bloomberg News has reported. That’s a serious threat because about 61% of Japan’s winter domestic heating is provided by kerosene heaters, which provide instant (if sometimes stinky) heat at the touch of a button.