Japan swelters as previous heat record melts
The Kanto region is experiencing intense heat as a heat wave makes its way through the country.
In Gunma Prefecture, the city of Kiryu recorded a temperature of 41.2 C, matching the previous national high seen in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, last Wednesday, while Maebashi, the prefectural capital, saw the mercury rise to 41 C.
The town of Hatoyama in Saitama Prefecture sweltered under intense heat recorded at 41.4 C, and in the city of Ome in western Tokyo, the temperature hit 40.4 C.
The weather agency issued heatstroke warnings Tuesday for all prefectures excluding Hokkaido, Akita and Kochi, along with some areas in Okinawa Prefecture. For Wednesday, heatstroke warnings have been issued for 37 prefectures.
The intense heat being felt nationwide has also forced a change in high school baseball tradition — for the first time in its 110-year history, the National High School Baseball Championship that began Tuesday in the city of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, held its opening ceremony in the late afternoon to escape the heat.
The games, which run through Aug. 22, are scheduled either in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest time of the day.
People walk with parasols to protect themselves from the sun in Tokyo on Tuesday. |
Johan Brooks
According to the most recent numbers by the internal affairs ministry, a total of 10,804 people were taken to the hospital for heatstroke in the week through Sunday, with 16 deaths. In June, 17,229 people were taken to the hospital for heatstroke. Of these, 26 people died while 324 others suffered severe cases of heatstroke.
For rice farmers, the extreme heat and lack of rain are severely affecting their crops. In Niigata Prefecture, known for its rice production, only 3.5 millimeters of rain fell in July, compared with 376.5 mm in the same month of last year.
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