Japan’s hottest year since records began threatens rice supply, ecosystems

In a report released on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed that the country’s average temperature for the year was 1.48 degrees Celsius (2.66 degrees Fahrenheit) above the mean for the 30-year period ending in 2020. That figure eclipsed the 1.29-degree rise recorded in 2023.

The heat spared no season. Monthly records were broken in April, July, and October, while summer temperatures tied the highs of 2023. Even autumn refused to cool off – Tokyo hit 30.1 degrees Celsius (86.2 Fahrenheit) on October 19, the latest date to break the 30-degree mark in over a decade.

“There are several contributing factors to the record heat last year, but global warming is one of the basic causes,” said Yoshihiro Iijima, a climatology professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University.

The rising mercury isn’t just a statistic – it’s rewriting the rules for Japan’s food supply.