17 heat records broken in Japan
Seventeen heat records were broken in Japan on Monday, the weather agency said, after the country sweltered through its hottest ever June and July.
Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception.
The city of Komatsu in Ishikawa Prefecture saw a new record of 40.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Toyama city in Toyama Prefecture, also in the central region, hit 39.8C, the highest temperature since records began, according to the JMA.
Fifteen other locations across cities and towns soared to new highs between 35.7C and 39.8C, added the JMA, which monitors temperatures at more than 900 points in Japan.
On July 30, Japan experienced its highest recorded temperature, a sizzling 41.2C in the western region of Hyogo.
The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record.
With low levels of rainfall and heat, several dams in the northern region were almost empty, the land ministry said, with farmers worried that a water shortage and extreme heat could result in a poor harvest.
Experts warn Japan's beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate, or sometimes not fully blossoming because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering.
The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October.
Japan this year had its hottest June and July since data collection began in 1898, with the weather agency warning of further "severe heat" in the months ahead.
The speed of temperature increases across the world is not uniform.
Of the continents, Europe has seen the fastest warming per decade since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to global data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
8 hours ago
Mercury Hits New Japan Record High of 41.8 C in Isesaki
Tokyo, Aug. 5 (Jiji Press)--The temperature in the eastern Japan city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, soared to 41.8 degrees Celsius at 2:26 p.m. on Tuesday, marking a record high for Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The previous record high was 41.2 degrees, marked in the western city of Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday last week. On Tuesday, temperatures of 40.0 degrees or higher were recorded at a total of 14 locations across five of Japan's 47 prefectures, the highest single-day total since records began. Temperatures rose to as high as 41.4 degrees in Hatoyama in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, 41.2 degrees in Kiryu in Gunma, and 41.0 degrees in Maebashi, also in Gunma. This summer, the Japanese archipelago is covered with a double layer of the Pacific anticyclone and the Tibetan high-pressure system, resulting in sunny and extremely hot days in many areas. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Nikkei Asia
9 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan sets record high temperature of 41.8 C
Visitors holding parasols walk along Nakamise Street at the Asakusa district as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures on Aug. 5. © Reuters TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops.
Japan Today
11 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan sets record high temperature of 41.8 C in Gunma; worries mount over rice crops
Visitors holding parasols walk in Tokyo's Asakusa district Tuesday, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures. Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. The city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, set the record to surpass the previous high of 41.2 degrees Celsius marked last week in the city of Tamba in Hyogo Prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. In Tokyo, the highest temperature was 40.4 degrees in Ome City. "Today is murderously hot," said 63-year-old auto worker Takeshi Ishikawa, who was filling his water bottle at a fountain in central Tokyo. So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heatstroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan saw critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
