At least 12 dead, 10,000 hospitalized as heat wave engulfs Japan

People aged 65 or older accounted for 46.1 percent of the total. Temperatures soared to more than 35 degrees Celsius, with cities in central Japan seeing the highest levels this year at about 40 degrees Celsius, a weather agency said.

As intense heat is expected to continue, the Meteorological Agency has warned people to take precautions, such as drinking sufficient amounts of water. The Tokyo Fire Department said it received about 2,900 emergency calls the previous day, a record high for a single day since it started emergency services in 1936.