The mercury hit 41.2 degrees Celsius (106.16 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tamba city, about 560km (350 miles) southwest of Tokyo, on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of 41.1 degrees Celsius (105.98 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 2018 and matched again in 2020.

Temperatures of 40 degrees or higher were also recorded in Fukuchiyama city, Kyoto prefecture; Maniwa city, Okayama prefecture; and Nishiwaki city, Hyogo prefecture. Heatstroke alerts were issued for 33 of Japan’s 47 prefectures on Wednesday, national broadcaster NHK reported.

More than 10,800 people in Japan were sent to hospital with heatstroke last week, with 16 heat-related deaths, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Wednesday’s record is the latest in a series of unprecedented temperature spikes in Japan.

Last month, the East Asian country sweltered through its hottest June on record, with the average nationwide temperature rising 2.34 degrees Celsius (36.21 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal. Japan experienced its hottest year ever in 2024, with the average temperature breaking records for a second straight year. (Al Jazeera/AP)