All because of the stifling heat

Japan is experiencing a weather event of unprecedented severity after recording its fifth consecutive day of « scorching heat » on Saturday, July 25, 2026—marking the longest streak of extreme heat temperatures observed in the archipelago since systematic record-keeping began in 2010.

Faced with this climate threat hitting the center of the country—particularly the Aichi and Gifu prefectures, where at least six cities have crossed the symbolic 40°C threshold—the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has invoked the official term « kokushobi » (denoting a « heatwave day » of exceptional intensity). This new alert indicator, introduced last April to heighten public vigilance, does not, however, trigger an automated nationwide emergency protocol.

As authorities urge citizens to treat this heatwave as a genuine « natural disaster, » the health toll is rising sharply: according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, nearly 11,000 people required emergency hospital transport for heat-related illness or heatstroke during the week of July 13–19 alone, with fourteen victims having already succumbed by the time they reached medical care.