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'Cruelly hot': Japan devises new term for heat wave days
The agency chose the new label after 478,000 people responded to a survey and experts backed the move.
- On Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced a new category for days exceeding 40C, branding them "cruelly hot" or "Kokushobi" to address increasingly frequent extreme heatwaves.
- Data shows 41 days exceeding 40C occurred between 2023 and 2025, representing more than a third of all such days recorded since 1872 in Japan.
- JMA selected the term from 13 candidates after an online survey received 478,000 responses, choosing "cruelly hot" to join existing classifications for 25C, 30C, and 35C days.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency said the designation "will more effectively call for vigilance against extremely high temperatures," aiming to better warn the public about severe heat risks.
- Experts forecast another record-breaking summer for 2026, as climate change increasingly squeezes out spring and autumn, threatening to leave Japan with only two seasons.
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The Japan Meteorological Agency conducted a survey to choose a new name for weather with temperatures above 40 degrees.
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·Zürich, Switzerland
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»Kokusho-bi«: In the future, Tokyo and Osaka will be warned of temperatures from 40 degrees Celsius, the term prevailed against »staying home«. In 2025, the country experienced the hottest summer since the beginning of the recording.
·Germany
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Total News Sources40
Leaning Left8Leaning Right6Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution39% Center
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources are Center
39% Center
L 35%
C 39%
R 26%
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