TOKYO - Most parts of Japan, from Kanto to Kyushu, on Saturday experienced intense late-summer heat, with high-pressure systems driving temperatures up, according to the country's weather agency.

Out of 914 monitoring locations across the country, 542 recorded temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or higher, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported.

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The highest temperature recorded nationwide was 37.8°C in the city of Minamishimabara in Nagasaki prefecture, the data showed.

Tokyo also experienced intense heat with a high of 34.5°C recorded at Chiyoda in central Tokyo.

It will mark the latest recorded extreme heat day since records began if temperatures exceed 35°C on or after Sunday, according to the JMA. The current latest 35-degree day on record fell on Sept 12, 1942.

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The weather is expected to change on Sunday, according to the JMA, adding that a weather front moving southward from northern to eastern Japan would bring cloudy skies and rain to areas like Kanto-Koshin.

However, the temperature in Tokyo is still forecasted to reach a high of 34°C.