July 3, Wednesday, 2024

1. Intense heat gripped much of eastern and western Japan on Thursday, with daytime highs rising above body temperature in a number of places. The highest temperature of the day, 39.3 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Shizuoka City. That was the highest for the city since record-keeping began in 1940. Aichi Prefecture’s Nagoya city and central Tokyo both saw the mercury hit 35 degrees for the first time this summer.
2. Japanese authorities say at least 37 people in 16 prefectures were attacked by wild bears from April through July 3 and two of them were killed. The total number is expected to hit its worst level to date in this fiscal year, which began in April.
3. Japan’s fisheries agency has offered a rare opportunity to taste Japanese eels fully cultivated from eggs. The Japanese eel is designated as endangered species as its population has declined sharply. The protection of resources has become an issue. In an effort to preserve the stock of eels, a research institute of the Japanese government successfully achieved full-cycle eel farming 14 years ago for the first time in the world.