Saitama Hits 38.1 Degrees Celsius
June Sees Highest Temperatures Since 1898
Travel Communities Flooded with Posts About Canceling Trips
This year, Japan's average temperature in June reached its highest level in about 130 years. On the first day of July, temperatures in some regions exceeded 38 degrees Celsius, leading to a surge in emergency room admissions across the country as people suffered from the extreme heat. There is even a growing movement in South Korea to cancel trips to Japan.
According to NHK and other sources on July 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that the country's average temperature in June was the highest since statistics began in 1898, rising by 2.34 degrees Celsius compared to the annual average. The agency specifically warned that the influence of both the Pacific high-pressure system and the Tibetan high-pressure system has intensified, and that the extreme heat is expected to continue into July.
This year, Japan's average temperature in June reached the highest level in about 130 years. On the first day of July, some regions recorded temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, signaling extreme heat. NHK news footage
On this day, the temperature in Hatoyama Village, Saitama Prefecture, soared to 38.1 degrees Celsius. Takamatsu City and Toyota City in Aichi Prefecture recorded 37.6 degrees, while Kyoto, a popular tourist destination, reached 36.6 degrees. In Tokyo alone, 51 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance with suspected heatstroke symptoms in a single day. Yukiko Imada, a professor at the University of Tokyo, recently told a media outlet, "It is statistically very unusual for so many locations to record temperatures above 35 degrees this early in the season," warning, "This is a clear sign of abnormal climate conditions."
Amid reports of the unprecedented heatwave, posts are flooding South Korean travel communities from people considering canceling their flights. Comments such as "I'm worried because they say it's too hot to even travel," "If I go all the way to Japan and can't go sightseeing, it would be such a waste?should I cancel?" "What if I just end up ruining my mood by traveling?" and "It's scarier that it's hotter than Korea" are being posted one after another.
Meanwhile, not only Japan but the entire world is suffering from a deadly heatwave that began in June. In Southern Europe, including Spain and Italy, temperatures have soared close to 40 degrees Celsius, prompting countries to enter emergency alert mode. Italy has banned outdoor labor in some regions, while France has recommended temporarily closing schools exposed to danger as needed. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, "Heatwaves exceeding 40 degrees have become the new normal," and called for urgent climate action.
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