Japan Introduces New Term for 40C+ Days After Record Heat

Japan's Meteorological Agency has introduced a new term, "kokushobi," to describe days when temperatures reach 40C (104F) or higher.

This development follows the country's hottest summer on record in 2025.

The term "kokushobi" translates to "cruelly hot," "brutally hot," or "severely hot." The new designation was selected through a national online survey conducted in February and March, which received approximately 478,000 responses.

"Kokushobi" was the most popular choice among 13 options, with "super extremely hot day" coming in second.

Japan already has established terms for days exceeding 25C, 30C, and 35C.

The introduction of "kokushobi" reflects the need to describe increasingly extreme heat events.

The summer of 2025 was the hottest since records began in 1898, with average temperatures nationwide 2.36C above the long-term average.

Temperatures exceeded 40C on nine days between June and August, including a new national peak of 41.8C recorded in Isesaki.

The cumulative number of extremely hot days also surpassed the previous record set in 2024.

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