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TOKYO: An "unprecedented" heatwave in Japan has killed at least 65 people in one week, government officials said Tuesday (Jul 24), with the weather agency now classifying the record-breaking weather as a "natural disaster". [19659002] In the week to Sunday at least 65 people died of heat stroke while 22,647 people were hospitalized, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.
Both figures are "the worst-ever for any week (19659002) The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday that a total of 80 people have died from the heat since the beginning of July, and over 35,000 have been hospitalized.
Among those killed was six-year-old school boy who lost consciousness on his way back from a field trip.
"As a record heatwave continues to blanket the country, urgent measures are required to Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday.
The government said it would provide funding to
Suga said the government would also consider extending this year's summer school holidays on the heatwave drags on.
On Monday, the city of Kumagaya in Saitama outside Tokyo set a new national heat record, with temperatures hitting 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit).
And temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius were registered for the first time in Tokyo's metro area, where the government is promoting Uchimizu, a tradition where water is sprinkled on the ground, as part of a summer heat awareness campaign
READ: Japan heatwave pushes temper ature to record high 41.1 degrees Celsius
"We are observing unprecedented levels of heat in some areas, "motorcycle agency official Motoaki Takekawa said late Monday.
The heatwave" is fatal, and we recognize it as a natural disaster, "he told reporters.
The agency warned that much of the country will continue baking in temperatures of
Japan's summers are notoriously hot and humid, and hundreds of thousands of people each year.
The heatwave follows the record of the devastated parts of western and central Japan with floods and landslides that killed over 220 people.
And many people in the
The record-breaking weather has revived concerns about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will be held in two years time in July
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike this week promised that the heat would be given the same priority as measures to counter terrorism.
"It's just as important because the purpose is also to protect people's lives," she told reporters, comparing Japan's summer to "living in a sauna".
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