TOKYO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Central Tokyo logged a record-high temperature for March at 28.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The summer-like heat was recorded at 1:32 p.m. local time in Chiyoda Ward at the heart of the Japanese capital, marking the highest reading for March since data began being collected in 1876, the JMA said.
The mercury soared mainly in the Kanto-Koshin regions of eastern and central Japan due to a high-pressure system, with a total of more than 60 sites reporting record-high temperatures for the month on Sunday, according to the agency.
The JMA said 28.6 degrees Celsius was logged in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu in the afternoon, making it the hottest temperature for the site for March.
Other cities, including Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Otsuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, and Miyazaki in southwestern Japan, also saw temperatures hit 25 degrees Celsius or higher, defined by the weather officials as a "summer day." ■
