[Anchor]

A scorching heat wave exceeding 40°C has engulfed Japan. With record-breaking heat sending more than 450 heatstroke patients to hospitals in Tokyo alone in a single day, "human refrigerators" where people can step inside to cool down have even made an appearance.

Tokyo correspondent Mun Junmo reports.

[Reporter]

Gujo, Gifu Prefecture, is famous for its summer festival where people dance through four nights and days without sleep.

Despite the festival period, the streets are quiet.

This is due to the scorching heat, with road surface temperatures surpassing 44°C (111°F).

In Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, where the festival has also begun, temperatures are approaching 40°C (104°F).

[Tourist: (It is truly intensely hot.) Even after staying for just about 15 minutes, I already want to go back.]

Emergency relief stations have been set up in every hotel, and air-conditioned tents have been installed in public squares, but heatstroke patients continue to emerge.

Tokyo is breaking heat damage records day after day.

On July 22, 453 people were rushed to emergency rooms in a single day, the highest figure since record-keeping began in 2010.

Casualties are also mounting, with a woman in her 70s dying while tending to her garden and two men collapsing and dying from the heat while mowing grass.

A so-called "human refrigerator" has appeared in the lobby of a city hall.

Created by a vending machine manufacturer, this cooling facility rapidly lowers body temperature.

[Citizen: It feels like stepping inside a refrigerator. I am someone who suffers a lot from the heat, so I think this is really great.]

We visited a shopping mall construction site.

Refrigerators stocked with frozen drinks and ice have been installed, and makeshift air-conditioned rest areas have been set up every two to three floors.

[Chang / Vietnamese Worker: When it is hot, coming here to eat ice cream and drink water feels refreshing.]

[Shimada / Daiwa House Safety Management Department: Satisfaction is so high that there are continuous requests to make sure these (makeshift rest areas) are installed again at the next construction site.]

In rural areas where rice harvesting has begun, notices have been posted advising workers to work for 30 minutes and rest for 30 minutes.

The Japanese government has issued warnings, noting that heatstroke deaths during agricultural work are increasing rapidly.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Han Chul-min and Moon Hyun-jin | Video by Jeon Min-gyu