Hundreds hospitalised in Japan heatwave 'disaster'

Tokyo, July 24: More than 450 people received hospital treatment for heat-related issues in a single day in Tokyo -- the highest number since records began 16 years ago, emergency services said Thursday.

The figure was released as Japan sweltered in a heatwave that has killed at least 14 people over the past week.

A total 453 people had hospital treatment for heat-related issues on Wednesday, the most since records began in 2010, the Tokyo Fire Department said. Emergency callouts were also at the highest level since at least 1963.

"We are urging people to stay hydrated and use air conditioners," a fire brigade spokesman told AFP.

The number of patients appeared to rise as temperatures climbed, with notable increases on Tuesday and Wednesday, the spokesman said.

In Tokyo prefecture -- home to around 14 million people -- one person had died in the current heatwave with four others in a critical condition and 18 in a serious state, he said.

Nick Estes, 35, an American tourist visiting the Asakusa area of Tokyo with his family, said Thursday the weather was "extremely hot".

"We've been planning our trips around trying to make sure we can spend time in the metro to cool off, finding little shops to pop into to maybe buy a little souvenir that has air conditioning, doing everything we can to stay cool," Estes told AFP.

"But especially with younger kids, it's been absolutely brutal... I was here last summer, actually, and somehow it actually feels even hotter this year than it did a year ago."

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has dubbed the heatwave a "disaster", reporting on Wednesday at least 14 deaths across the country over the previous week and 11,000 people seeking emergency medical care.(AFP)