More than 30 people reportedly died and thousands more would have fallen ill while an intense heat wave continues to hit Japan.
Temperatures above 40 ° C hit the central regions of the country this week.
In Tokyo, the heat caused over 3,000 emergency calls on Wednesday, a record for a single day in the city, while 300 people were hospitalized.
A six-year-old boy died of heat stroke Tuesday in Aichi prefecutre, in central Japan, after participating in a field study with his school in a park.
"We deserve criticism that our judgment [to take students to the park during the heatwave] Takashi Yabushita, director of the Umetsubo Elementary School, where the incident occurred Mainichi Shimbun
"We took care to prevent students from suffering from heat stroke, urging them to drink water. 19659002] Stifling temperatures also hamper relief efforts in western Japan, where deadly floods killed more than 200 people last week.
The heat wave worries the rescuers and the 4,700 people evacuated from the danger zones. "We operate in harsh conditions, with severe heatwave in this region," said AFP Koji Kunitomi, spokesman for the department of disaster management in Okayama Prefecture, affected by the floods
. o questioned the wisdom of holding the Tokyo Olympics in July and August, when temperatures often exceed 35 ° C.
Experts warned that the risk of heat stroke in Tokyo has increased these last years. conditions in which sports activities should normally be interrupted.
During a visit to Tokyo last week, John Coates, the head of an inspection team of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), acknowledged that the heat would be a huge challenge for the organizers. "We are aware that we must prepare for the extreme heat," he said at a press conference. "You are not the first country to host the Games in extreme heat, it's a natural consequence of being in July and August."
Local and national government agencies plan to build sidewalks that emit less heat from trees, but many worry that this will not be enough.
The Meteorological Agency of Japan issued warnings on extremely high temperatures, which should continue for several days, advising the public to take precautions such as drinking water and air. conditioners.