Tokyo, July 28 (Jiji Press)--Temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius in the Shikoku region of western Japan on Tuesday, marking the first "kokushobi," or cruelly hot day, there this year. The town of Kuroshio, Kochi Prefecture, observed 40.7 degrees shortly past 2:30 p.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The mercury surged in western Japan due to a high-pressure system centered off the western coast of the Kyushu southwestern region. Temperatures exceeded the kokushobi standard of 40 degrees for the seventh day in Japan. Temperatures are forecast to top 35 degrees in many locations in the Kanto-Koshin eastern to central region until around Sunday and in the Tokai central region, western Japan and the Amami southwestern region over the next two weeks. The mercury may exceed 40 degrees in western Japan or elsewhere during the period. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]