The city of Shizuoka hit 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday — a high for the nation so far this year — as temperatures exceeding 35 C were recorded across a broad swath of the country from Tohoku to Kyushu.
The 40 C temperature in Shizuoka, marked shortly after 1 p.m., was the highest for the city since records began in 1940.
Nishinomaki, Gunma Prefecture, reached 39.8 C, while Otsuki, Yamanashi Prefecture, recorded 39.2 C. Highs above 38 C were marked in several other cities.
Heatstroke alerts were issued for 26 prefectures, including Tokyo, Gunma, Shizuoka, Fukui, Hyogo, Wakayama, Hiroshima, Ehime, Fukuoka and Kagoshima.
In Tokyo on Sunday, 198 people had been transported to hospitals for suspected heatstroke as of 9 p.m., according to NHK.
On Friday, a 2024 high of 162 locations experienced extreme heat, according to the Meteorological Agency’s Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System. Sunday was expected to surpass this mark, with more than 200 locations nationwide forecast to see extreme heat, the Japan Weather Association said.
Between June 24 and June 30, 2,276 individuals were transported to hospitals for heatstroke across the nation, with people above 65 years old making up more than half of the total at 59.4%, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Average temperatures are predicted to soar across the country this summer, potentially reaching levels similar to last summer's heat, the Meteorological Agency has said, with August expected to be especially hot.
Extremely hot days, called mōshobi, are defined by the agency as days when temperatures exceed 35 C. Such heat is increasing in frequency due to climate change, which is primarily being driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
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