Japan records the highest temperature ever recorded

TOKYO – Japan recorded its highest temperature on Monday, as a deadly heat wave continued to hit a large part of the country and South and North Korea

Mercury reached 41.1 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture C is about 65 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, said the Japanese Meteorological Agency. This broke the previous record of 41.0 C at Ekawasaki on Shikoku Island on August 12, 2013.

Two persistent high pressure systems trapped warm, moist air overhead. the region, bringing record temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea.

"It's so hot today that I do not know if I'm in South Korea or Southeast Asia," said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature rose to 35.7 C (96 F).

Ten people died in South Korea from heat stroke and other heat-related causes this summer, seven of which last week. Control and Prevention said Monday. About 1,040 people became ill because of the heat from May 20 to July 21, an increase of 61% over the same period last year.

South Korea's lowest peak was recorded in Gangneung City In the morning in Seoul, the temperature was 31 ° C, a record for the country's capital, according to the Southern Meteorological Agency. Korean.

Mercury reached 39.9 ° C in the southeastern city of Hayang. In North Korea, locals settled on crowded carts or protected themselves from the sun with brightly colored umbrellas in Pyongyang, the capital, where temperatures reached 34 ° C. the east coast of the country.

Thousands of people in Japan were rushed to hospitals with heat stroke symptoms during the heat wave. The agency Kyodo News has registered more than 40 deaths. Many of the victims were elderly people who did not use air conditioning.

The temperature reached 39 C on Monday in central Tokyo, the highest temperature this year. The worst of the heat wave is expected this week.

Tourists in the historic district of Asakusa in Tokyo fought with the heat. Cosett Romero of Mexico said that she and her family had headaches.

"It's hard for us because we do not have that warmth in Mexico," she said.

Authorities warned people to stay inside.

"The weather in Japan looks like that of a sauna," said Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, at a press conference on the 2020 Summer Olympics, which started on Tuesday in Tokyo. The city has worked to solve the heat problems for fans and athletes.

The marathon and other outdoor Olympic events will start early in the morning. Other measures include the development of pavements that emit less surface heat, the installation of foggers and the planting of trees along roadsides.

Koike also cites traditional cooling methods in Japan, such as suspended straw and road spraying. "But our traditional wisdom is not enough to beat the heat," she acknowledged, "so we'll use advanced technology."

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Eric Talmadge, Associated Press Editor in Pyongyang, North Korea, and videojournalists Nicola Shannon in Tokyo and Yong-ho Kim in Seoul contributed to this report .