The Japanese government and ruling parties "started discussions on whether to introduce daylight saving time" during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics as a "countermeasure for extremely high temperatures" which have gripped the nation this summer, a source said on Monday, according to KYODO. While the system "is expected to mitigate physical impact from heat on athletes of outdoor sports, including the marathons and race walking," it remains unclear whether the plan "will be implemented amid concerns it could create confusion in social and economic activities." Japan "has not used daylight saving time for more than six decades." A plan now under consideration is to set Japan Standard Time two hours earlier than usual only during the int'l sports events in '20, the source said (KYODO, 8/6). BLOOMBERG's Shiho Takezawa reported even prior to the winning the Olympics, Japan "has debated the benefits of such a move for years, as shifting clocks forward has potential for positive economic effects." Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute Chief Economist Toshihiro Nagahama said that "recreational services, food and hotel industries would mainly benefit" from the plan. That could result in an economic benefit of up to 700B yen ($6.3B) through "boosted consumption," he said, "although software problems and the struggle of people to adapt their biological clocks could have an adverse impact" (BLOOMBERG, 8/6).
