By RYOMA KOMIYAMA/ Staff Writer
October 2, 2023 at 14:51 JST
Pedestrians cross the Yodoyabashi bridge in Osaka in the lingering summer heat on Sept. 28. (Masaru Komiyaji)
Following record-breaking heat in July and August, Japan also continued to experience its hottest September on record, official data showed.
The average temperature in September was 24.91 degrees, the highest since recordkeeping began in 1898.
This is more than one degree higher than the previous record of 23.76 degrees in 2012, followed by 23.68 in 1999.
The heatwave was caused by “high-pressure systems from the Pacific Ocean, in addition to global warming,” according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The agency forecasts that temperatures will remain high in October. Japan already endured the hottest July and August on record this year.
The latest figure was based on data from 15 less urbanized locations across the country, including Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, and Hikone, Shiga Prefecture.
The JMA calculates the national average temperature based on data from those observation points. The Asahi Shimbun analyzed the data with support from the agency.
The summer heat continued until mid-September, when temperatures dropped briefly before rising again toward the end of the month.
Cities experienced even hotter temperatures, with the September average of 27.23 degrees in locations in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka, surpassing the previous record of 26.36 degrees in 2007.
Whew! Japan had hottest summer on record - weather agency
September 2, 2023
Japan swelters in its hottest July in more than a century
August 2, 2023
As Japan bakes, study finds first half of 2023 was the hottest yet
July 28, 2023
Survey: People in cooler regions are at higher risk of heatstroke
June 27, 2023
Okinawa seen as ‘summer retreat’ as it stays cool amid heat waves
August 23, 2022
Early pressure patterns causing record-setting heat in Japan
June 30, 2022
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
