Temperatures soared on Tuesday across wide areas in Japan. The country is no stranger to blazing summers, but the need to wear facemasks due to the coronavirus poses a health risk all of its own -- heatstroke.

A high-pressure system pushed temperatures up. The mercury topped 35 degrees Celsius in a part of Fukuoka Prefecture in the southwest, and some other areas.

Tokyo's benchmark stock index surged on Wednesday as investors welcomed progress by the US Congress toward passing a 2 trillion dollar stimulus package.

The gains also followed the biggest-ever one-day point rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.