Elsewhere in Japan, officials at the Tama Zoological Park outside Tokyo said Monday that three lions had died in less than a week from suspected heat-related causes.

Officials said 10 of the zoo’s 16 lions had shown signs of distress starting in mid-July, including decreased activity and loss of appetite, with some losing consciousness or the ability to stand.

Despite efforts to cool their body temperatures, three female lions between the ages of 3 and 15 died within a week, officials said, the latest on Sunday. Preliminary investigations found dehydration and multiple organ failure in all three lions.

While four of the zoo’s lions are in the process of recovery, three others remain sick, according to officials, who said the animals’ health was their first priority and that they had been suspended from public display.

In an effort to promote awareness of the dangers of extreme heat, this year the Japan Meteorological Agency adopted a new name, kokushobi — or “cruelly hot day” — to describe days with temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) after it received more than 200,000 votes in a public poll. The first kokushobi were recorded last month on five consecutive days.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Japan was last August in the city of Isesaki, at 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 F).