AKIPRESS.COM - Three people died as about 490 were taken to hospitals due to heat stroke or heat exhaustion Thursday, as temperatures soared across much of Japan, according to Japan Today.

At 929 observation points nationwide of the Japan Meteorological Agency, more than 400 logged highs of at least 30 degrees Celsius, while the mercury topped 35°C at 51 locations.

The mercury reached the season’s highest 38.8°C in the city of Koshu in Yamanashi Prefecture in eastern Japan, and 38.6°C in Kawanehoncho, Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan. In Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, the temperature rose to 37.7°C.

The weather agency said a high-pressure system covering the Japanese archipelago sent a blanket of hot air over a wide swath of the archipelago.

The agency warned that the temperature in eastern Japan will remain high on Friday, while in western and southwestern Japan, low pressure may bring heavy rain from Friday through Saturday.

In the city of Shikokuchuo in Ehime Prefecture in western Japan, an 88-year-old woman who had been working on a farm was found collapsed and taken to a hospital where she was confirmed dead, while an 81-year-old woman in the town of Misato in Saitama Prefecture in eastern Japan who had been working on a farm was also found collapsed and confirmed dead later at a hospital.

In Hashimoto, Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, a 36-year-old man who was working outside a factory was taken to a hospital after being found collapsed and was confirmed dead.