Japan logged its highest temperature on record at 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on Tuesday. The reading surpassed the 41.2 °C mark set in Hyogo Prefecture just a week earlier and was one of 17 local heat records broken the same day. Authorities issued heat-stroke alerts for Tokyo and much of the country and urged residents to stay indoors. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat-related illness so far this summer. Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced emergency measures to shield rice production, including subsidies for pest control after a surge in stink bugs and assistance for drought-hit regions. Average temperatures nationwide have risen for a third consecutive July, while parts of the Sea of Japan coast are experiencing critically low rainfall. The extreme heat follows similar patterns elsewhere in East Asia, with South Korea reporting its second-hottest July on record. Scientists and officials link the intensifying heatwaves to climate change, warning that further temperature spikes are possible in the coming weeks.