The record-breaking heat and droughts this summer have raised concerns about the impact on crops, and high temperatures and low rainfall are expected to persist in August.

New average temperature records for June and July were set this year, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, and there has been a surge in heatstroke patients in hospitals. Exacerbated by a lack of rain, crop growth is now being affected in key rice-producing areas such as the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.

The data for the average monthly temperatures goes back over three decades.

The water level in some dams has fallen dramatically, and central and local governments are issuing urgent calls for water conservation.