Japan experienced its hottest summer on record - and a deadly one - as heat exhaustion claimed 158 lives and caused nearly 47,000 people to be rushed to hospitals, the government said Wednesday. A total of 46,728 people were taken by ambulance to hospitals from May 31 to August 29 because of the heat, including more than 5,000 last week alone, dpa quoted the Fire and Disaster Management Agency as saying. Those who were 65 or over made up 46.6 per cent of the patients, the agency said. The average temperatures taken at 17 points around Japan from June to August this year was the highest seen since the government started keeping records in 1898, exceeding the average from 1971 to 2000 by 1.64 degrees Celsius, the Meteorological Agency said. The previous record was set in 1994. Japan saw high temperatures again Wednesday. They exceeded or equaled record highs for the month of September at 242 out of a total of 921 locations where temperatures were measured, the agency said. The temperature exceeded 30 degrees in 789 locations and 35 degrees in 157 locations, it said.
