Temperatures have hit a record-breaking 41.1 degrees Celsius in Japan during a continuing heatwave.

At least 23 people have died as a result of the current hot weather, with some estimates putting the death toll as high as 40.

Thousands of others have been treated for possible heatstroke - including more than 300 people on Monday alone.

The Tokyo Fire Department says the number of people treated for heatstroke this year has already surpassed the total amount from last year.

The Japan Times reports that the record temperature of 41.1 degrees was recorded in Kumagaya - a city north of Tokyo - on Monday.

It surpassed the previous record of 41 degrees, which was recorded in the southwestern city of Shimanto in August 2013.

People cool down under the cooling mist spot in Tokyo, Monday, July 23, 2018. Picture by: Koji Sasahara/AP/Press Association Images

Temperatures in parts of Tokyo, meanwhile, also reached the 40s on Monday - reportedly reaching as high as 40.8 degrees in the western city of Ome.

According to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, last week was the first time temperatures of 40 degrees were recorded in the country in almost five years.

The heatwave comes in the wake of heavy rainfall that led to significant flooding and landslides in parts of Japan.

The flooding left more than 200 people dead earlier this month, and caused hundreds of millions of euro worth of damage.