Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- For countries in Northeast Asia , this summer is becoming too hot to bear . A Japanese city has experienced the highest temperature ever recorded in the country . The South Korean government is clamping down on the use of air-conditioning in an attempt to stave off power shortages . And Shanghai has been sweltering under a record-setting run of baking hot days . The searing temperatures have brought a spike in heat-related deaths , as well as harming crops and livestock . A new record . In Japan , of the 52 deaths from heatstroke nationwide between late May and early August , nearly one third of them occurred last week , the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said . On Monday , the temperature reached 41 degrees Celsius ( 105.8 degrees Fahrenheit ) in Shimanto in southern Japan , setting a new national record , according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency . The agency issued a heat alert covering 37 of Japan 's 47 prefectures on Tuesday , warning that the high temperatures are expected to continue for about a week in western , central and southern parts of the country . Looming energy crisis . The hot weather has come at a bad time for South Korea , putting a severe strain on the country 's struggling power grid . The energy supply was already suffering from technical problems , including the shutdown of some nuclear reactors . Officials have warned of an imminent energy crisis . To try to prevent shortages , authorities on Monday ordered sweltering workers in government offices to turn off the air-conditioning and avoid using elevators . The order came two days after the city of Gimhae clocked a temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius ( 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit ) , the highest in South Korea in more than a decade . The Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday issued a fresh heat wave warning -- which means the maximum temperature is expected to be above 35 Celsius for more than two days -- for large areas of the country . Weeks of heat . Parts of China , meanwhile , have been dealing with unusually high temperatures for weeks . iReport : Heatwave scorches Shanghai . After sweating through its hottest July in at least 140 years , Shanghai last week experienced four consecutive days during which the thermometer went above 40 degrees Celsius ( 104 degrees Fahrenheit ) , state media reported . That 's the first time the sprawling city of 23 million inhabitants has had a run of temperatures that high , according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau . China 's National Meteorological Center on Tuesday issued its second-highest heat alert for central and southern parts of the country -- the 20th day in a row that it 's issued an alert of that level , the state-run news agency Xinhua reported . But the agency also offered some hope of a reprieve for heat-weary citizens . It predicted that `` the intensity of the heat and the regions it affects will gradually dwindle over the next three days , '' Xinhua reported . CNN 's Junko Ogura and journalist Saori Ibuki in Tokyo ; and journalist Soo Bin Park in Seoul , South Korea , contributed to this report .
The high temperature in a Japanese city sets a new national record . North Korea orders government offices to turn off air - conditioning . The heat is putting extra strain on the country 's struggling power grid . Scorching temperatures continue to afflict Shanghai after a brutal July .