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Japan has recorded its fifth “cruelly hot day” with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, marking the longest streak of such extreme heat since records began in 2010.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said six cities in the central prefectures of Aichi and Gifu crossed the 40-degree threshold on Saturday, meeting the criteria for “kokushobi”, a term introduced this year to describe exceptionally dangerous heat.
The agency adopted the designation in April to strengthen public warnings about severe temperatures, although it does not automatically trigger nationwide emergency measures.
The prolonged heatwave has strained emergency services, with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reporting that nearly 11,000 people required emergency medical treatment for heat-related illnesses between July 13 and July 19.
The agency said 14 people were confirmed dead on arrival at hospitals during the period, urging the public to treat the ongoing heatwave as a disaster.
In Tokyo alone, 453 people were hospitalised for heat-related conditions on Thursday, the highest single-day figure recorded in the capital since monitoring began more than a decade ago.
Japan records around 1,300 heat-related deaths each year and is working to cut that number by half before 2030.
Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in Japan and other parts of the world to human-driven climate change.
Japan experienced its hottest summer on record last year, while the country’s highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Isesaki, north of Tokyo, on August 5, 2025.
