Morning walk 5 kilometers. It was rather comfortable in the morning with good breeze. But the temperature raised to 35 degrees in the mid-day. It was one of the hottest day I have ever experienced in Tokyo.
According to news reports, the heat wave hit the East and Middle of U.S.A. It was over 40 degrees there. When I was in the Death Valley in Arizona in August, 1997, it was 132 degree Fahlenheight. A park ranger showed me the thermometer. So I know how hot it is when the temperature is over 40 degrees and can imagine how the people in East and Middle are suffering from the heat. The reports said a few hundred people died because of high temperature. I pray for safety of people who are making efforts to survive the challenge from nature.
Mr. Miyazawa, Minister of Finance and Mr. Summers, Secetary of Finance talked for twenty minutes at noon time today on telephone. They discussed the exchange rate of dollar and yen. When Mr, Miyazawa announced about the telephone conversation at the Diet, yen dropped to \115 from \122 a dollar at one time. Because the money traders were afraid of cooperative interventions to exchange trade by both governments. But Mr. Summers kept his opinion that to enlarge domestic demands should come first rather than the government intervention to exchange trade. So it raised again to \114 at the final deal of the day. The talks on telephone had only a limited effect. The conversations between two governments proved that they were studying together the financial and monetary moves in the world.
In the evening, I went to the glasses shop to adjust the frame for better fit. Later I took a light meal at a cafeteria. The place is full of ladies for taking rest in a good air conditioned room.