Fijian rugby player Saimoni Vunilagi has died in Japan after reportedly developing severe heatstroke symptoms following a team training session.
The 26-year-old was rushed to a hospital in Fukuoka on Monday after becoming unwell during practice with Kyushu KV, a second-division Japanese rugby club. The team confirmed that Vunilagi died on Friday morning.
Fukuoka recorded temperatures as high as 35°C on the day of the training session, amid a period of extreme summer heat across Japan.
Vunilagi played as a back-row forward and stood 196cm tall, weighing 117kg. He studied at a Japanese university before beginning his professional rugby career in 2023.
Kyushu KV expressed shock and sadness over the sudden loss, describing Vunilagi as a player whose strength and character had generated excitement ahead of the new season.
The club also extended its sympathy to his family and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.
Vunilagi’s death comes as Japan continues to face increasingly dangerous summer temperatures. The country experienced its hottest summer on record last year, while several areas have recorded temperatures of around 40°C in recent weeks.
Government figures showed that nearly 18,600 people were taken to hospitals for heatstroke-related problems between July 20 and 26. At least 45 people among those cases were declared dead upon arrival.
Japan records roughly 1,300 heat-related deaths each year and has set a target of reducing the figure by half by 2030.
The extreme heat has also affected animals. Three lions at a Tokyo zoo recently died from suspected heatstroke, while other animals remain under medical care.
Scientists have linked the growing frequency and severity of extreme heat in Japan and other parts of the world to human-driven climate change.
Japan’s highest temperature on record was 41.8°C, recorded in Isesaki, north of Tokyo, on August 5, 2025.
The persistent heat has also forced organisers to rethink the timing of some cultural and sporting events. Among them is the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, which held its final summer edition last weekend as organisers continue to contend with increasingly intense temperatures.
