On September 19, 2012 the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that about 18, 573 people were taken to the hospital to be treated for heat stroke in the month of August. The agency also said that the figure was the second highest number recorded in history.
The report had also said that the of the 18,573 people, about 35 people had died. The latest figure is just second to the year 2010 when 28,448 people were taken to the hospital suffering from heat stroke. The agency added that the high number of casualties is believed to be due to the fact that the large area northwest Japan saw temperatures above 35 degrees throughout August.
