2023 Saw Record-Breaking Temperatures across Japan
2023 in Japan was the hottest year ever recorded, with all-time highs in Fukushima and Ishikawa, long heat waves, and hot weather lasting well into autumn.
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The average temperature in 2023 surpassed normal levels by 1.29 degrees according to an announcement by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on January 4. Normal levels are calculated as the 30-year average up to 2020. This figure marks the highest increase ever recorded since statistical records started in 1898. The previous record was 0.65 degrees above the normal level in 2020. The increase in 2023 represents a significant and unprecedented record. Notably, higher temperatures have persisted in recent years, with the years 2019 to 2023 ranking as the top five in recorded history.
Record-Breaking Heat
According to JMA, the year 2023 set new records for high temperatures in three consecutive seasons – spring (March to May), summer (June to August), and autumn (September to November). Monthly, March, July, August, and September marked the highest temperatures ever recorded in statistical history.
The highest temperature recorded nationwide in 2023 was 40.0 degrees Celsius, observed in Date City, Fukushima Prefecture on August 5 and in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture on August 10. Heat waves were also an issue. Temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius persisted for 46 days in Kiryu City of Gunma Prefecture, also setting a new record for the highest number of scorching hot days in a year.
The heat in Japan persisted into autumn. Central Tokyo recorded a temperature of 27.5 degrees Celsius on November 7, marking the highest temperature recorded in Tokyo for the month of November in a century.
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