TOKYO -- The Japanese government said Tuesday it would take its first coordinated steps at national level later this week to tackle the excessive warming of urban areas, caused mainly by building development and massive energy consumption, AFP said.

Officials from ministries in charge of Environment, Urban Development and Energy Policy will attend the meeting on Friday to discuss ways to deal with the so-called heat island phenomenon, said Hajime Araki, an official from the Environment Ministry in charge of coordinating the conference.

Respective agencies will explain their heat island-related programs, with a view to organizing the government's policy to counter the phenomenon by the end of the fiscal year next March, Araki said.

"The aim is to discuss how to link different ministries' and agencies' efforts to deal with the heat island phenomenon," Araki said.

Covering the ground with concrete or asphalt, as well as massive energy consumption associated with the concentration of human activity, are believed to cause temperatures to rise in urban areas, such as the Tokyo conurbation.

The average summertime temperature in Tokyo in 2000 was 26.2 celsius (79.2 Fahrenheit), compared with 22.6 celsius (72.7 Fahrenheit) in 1901, according to the Meteorological Agency.

A 2001 survey by the Environment Ministry showed that 26.6 percent of metropolitan Tokyo's surface area was covered by buildings and 26.3 percent by other artificial materials such as paved roads, which absorb heat from the sun during the day and then radiate it.

As a result, Tokyo receives 37 percent more heat caused by the ground directly warming the air compared with the natural environment.

Although lying in a temperate climatic zone, Tokyo is experiencing more and more very hot days as well as warmer winters, which scientists attribute to the heat island effect, with potentially serious implications for health, the environment and power demand.

The highest temperature recorded in Tokyo this summer was 35.8 celsius (96 Fahrenheit) on August 11, but there were six days in the month when the mercury topped 35 degrees, according to the Meteorological Agency.

Perhaps worse for Tokyoites, since the end of June, there have been 29 days when the temperature did not drop below 25 celsius (77 Fahrenheit) over the 24 hours -- the definition of a "tropical night".

That prompts people to turn up their air conditioners, which contributes to making the problem even worse, said Toshiaki Ichinose from the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

"Energy consumption is the cause of the symptom (of urban warming). We need to curb heat radiation," from air conditioners and cars, he said.

Ichinose warned Tokyo summertime temperatures could rise to 40 celsius (104 Fahrenheit) "at any moment," increasing the risk of heat stroke and heart attacks.

"The elements are already assembled... if we leave the situation to take its own course, things are going to be problematic, no only in terms of the damage to health, but for the global environment," he said.

The situation is common to many of the world's megacities, but more extreme in densely populated Tokyo because it has relatively less green space, said Yasunobu Ashie, chief researcher at the building research institute.

"Ever since the (1964) Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo has been trying to plant more greenery. But while doing so, new residential developments have been expanding, sacrificing more greenery than has been planted," he said.

The Tokyo authorities have been promoting the creation of roof gardens on large buildings which have been shown to cool buildings, reducing the need for air conditioning.