TOKYO: Temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius in Japan for the first time this year on Tuesday, with a Pacific high-pressure system spreading over the Kanto eastern region including Tokyo.

The mercury hit 40.5 degrees in the cities of Isesaki and Kiryu, both in Gunma Prefecture, shortly past 2:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. GMT), compared with the domestic record high of 41.1 degrees, set in the city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on July 23, 2018.

Elsewhere in Kanto, a reading of 40.2 degrees was logged in the town of Hatoyama, Saitama, 39.9 degrees in the city of Tatebayashi, Gunma, 39.8 degrees in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, and 39.6 degrees in Ome, Tokyo, and in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture.

Scorching summer heat hit many other areas of Japan as well, with some areas in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido seeing the mercury reaching 35 degrees or higher.

The agency issued high-temperature warnings in most areas in the country and heatstroke alerts under a new system in the Kanto region and Yamanashi Prefecture, west of the capital. The agency and the Environment Ministry are currently testing the new heatstroke warning system.

To prevent heatstroke, the agency urged people to refrain from going out as much as possible and use air conditioners when necessary.

As of 6 p.m., temperatures had risen to 30 degrees or over at 778 observation points, or about 80 pct of such sites across the country, with 230 of them, or about 20 pct, marking readings of 35 degrees or over. Both numbers were the highest of this year.

Isesaki, Kiryu, Hatoyama and many other places saw their respective highest temperatures since observation started.

JIJI Press