Update | Nine die in record Japan heatwave as temperatures hit 41c

Broiling temperatures in Japan saw the mercury hit a record 41 degrees Celsius yesterday, after at least nine people died from heatstroke at the weekend.

The nation's weather agency issued heat warnings for 38 of Japan's 47 prefectures, telling people to keep hydrated and use their air conditioners.

Sweltering temperatures contributed to the deaths of at least nine people from heatstroke on Saturday and Sunday, Japanese officials and media reports said.

Another heatwave last month claimed at least a dozen lives.

Japan's record temperature was registered at 1.42 pm in Shimanto, a Pacific coast city on the western island of Shikoku, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.