Japan's new Heat Alert Kicks in
Last update: July 22, 2026
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It's officially cruel out there. Japan has just logged its first-ever "kokushobi" — literally a cruelly hot day — and it's only July.
Japan is sweltering, and the weather agency has had to invent a whole new word for it.
According to cbinews.tv, the country experienced its first "kokushobi", or "cruelly hot day", on Tuesday after temperatures in three central cities — Tajimi, Gujo and Toyoda — shot past 40C (104F).
The term itself is brand new. It was only introduced in April by Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) to describe days when the mercury hits 40C, in a bid to hammer home just how dangerous the heat really is.
And it looks like there's no relief just yet. The JMA says the scorching conditions are expected to drag on into next week.
This isn't just a one-off, either. Japan already has official lingo for hot days — over 25C, 30C and 35C — with anything above 35C known as a "moshobi" or extremely hot day. But this new "koku" — meaning harsh or cruel — is in a league of its own.
On Tuesday alone, nearly 300 out of Japan's 914 observation points recorded a moshobi, reports Kyodo News. More than 40 prefectures are now under heatstroke alerts.
The impact is already being felt. As cited by **cbinews.tv**, the Tokyo Fire Department said 287 people, aged just three to 103, were rushed to hospital in Tokyo on Tuesday with suspected heatstroke — the highest daily figure this year, according to NHK. The department has even issued an ambulance overload alert and is begging people to stay cool, drink plenty of water, get some salt in, use the air-con and avoid being outdoors for too long.
It comes after a brutal 2024, when Japan logged its hottest temperature ever — a staggering 41.8C in Isesaki. Last year also saw a record 1,803 people suffer heatstroke at work, with 19 fatalities.
With summers getting hotter and more dangerous, the Tokyo government is now telling office workers to ditch the suits and ties for T-shirts and shorts. Honestly, fair enough.
Credit: This report is based on original coverage by cbinews.tv
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