Japan braced on Wednesday for its hottest day yet of a record-breaking heatwave, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for a ramp-up of nuclear power use amid fears of a shortage of electricity to keep air conditioners whirring.
As some manufacturers announced plans to scale back production to save power, temperatures of around 40 C were predicted in areas surrounding Tokyo on the fifth day of the capital's worst June heatwave since records began in 1875.
