Tokyo: The Japanese weather agency warned Tuesday that temperatures could soar to dangerous levels in some areas, urging caution against heatstroke.
Scorching heat gripped wide areas of Japan from the Tohoku region in the northeast to Kyushu in the southwest on Monday, with the mercury soaring to extreme levels mainly in inland areas, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The JMA expected temperatures to rise again on Tuesday to similar levels over wide areas of the country, with daytime highs to reach 40 degrees in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, 39 degrees in the cities of Nagoya and Maebashi, and 38 degrees in the cities of Saitama and Kofu.
Heatstroke alerts have been issued for 42 of the country's 47 prefectures.
Weather officials urged people to use air conditioners and consume adequate amounts of water and salt to prevent heatstroke and to avoid long outdoor activities.
