More Than 100 Dead and 70,000 Hospitalized in Japan Due to Heat Wave

These figures take into account the Japanese who were sent to medical institutions between April 30 and August 5, and the numbers are higher than the record high recorded for the summer of 2013.

The 48.2 percent of hospitalized citizens have been elderly and more than five thousand have fallen ill in educational facilities, according to the report released by the Kyodo news agency.

On July 23, the temperature reached a Japanese record of 41.1 degrees Celsius in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, causing the country’s climate institute to call the heat a natural disaster.

In response, the Ministry of Education on Tuesday issued a warning for schools to extend summer vacation as needed in each locality to protect students from heatstroke.