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Temperature hits 41.1 C near Tokyo, highest ever in Japan

Searing hot temperatures are forecast for wide swathes of Japan in a long-running heatwave that’s killed dozens of people

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A man uses a fan as he walks on a street in Tokyo. File photo: Reuters

Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heatwave continued to grip a wide swathe of the country and nearby South and North Korea.

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The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture that is about 65 kilometres (40 miles) northwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

That broke the previous record of 41.0 C in Ekawasaki on the island of Shikoku on August 12, 2013.

Two lingering high pressure systems have trapped warm and humid air above the region, bringing record-high temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people have died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea.

“It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in (South Korea) or in Southeast Asia,” said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature rose to 35.7 C.

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Women walk with umbrellas in front of JR Tokyo Station, as an extreme heatwave hits Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Women walk with umbrellas in front of JR Tokyo Station, as an extreme heatwave hits Japan. Photo: Kyodo
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