Tokyo records unprecedented 10 straight days of 35°C heat

Wednesday 27 August 2025 - 07:31

By: Sahili Aya

Tokyo records unprecedented 10 straight days of 35°C heat

Tokyo has logged its tenth consecutive day of temperatures reaching 35°C or more, setting a historic record, Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced on Wednesday. The streak, which began earlier this month, marks the first time such heat has been recorded since data collection began in 1875.

Scientists warn that human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more intense, frequent, and widespread. While meteorologists avoid linking individual weather events directly to climate change, they note that rising global temperatures are fueling increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather.

This extreme heat wave could ease on Thursday, with forecasts predicting slightly cooler temperatures below 35°C. Still, it follows a series of record-breaking weather events across Japan, including unprecedented rainfall this month in Toyotomi, Hokkaido, and in Kirishima in the southwest.

Japan has also endured its hottest summers on record in 2023 and 2024, as well as its warmest autumn in 2024. The effects are visible in nature: cherry blossoms now bloom earlier or fail to fully flower, and Mount Fuji’s snow cap appeared only in November last year instead of October.

Globally, Europe has been warming fastest since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to NOAA. The UN has warned that extreme heat is increasingly affecting workers’ health and productivity, particularly in agriculture, construction, and fishing. Heat stress, dehydration, kidney issues, and neurological problems are among the major health risks.