A heat wave continued to scorch Japan on Monday, with some regions seeing temperatures hitting record highs for the year.
Temperatures topped 39 C in the western towns of Ibigawa and Tajimi in Gifu Prefecture. The mercury climbed above 38 C in eastern and central regions, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Of the agency's 927 monitoring points, 186 logged 35 C or higher, it said.
Over 2,000 people were taken to hospitals for heat exhaustion or heatstroke and five of them died on Monday alone, the last day of a three-day weekend, according to a Kyodo News tally. On Sunday, two died and over 2,000 were transported to hospitals.
