The Japan Meteorological Agency has introduced a new term, kokushobi, to describe days when temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius, the agency announced on April 17.
- New Term: “Kokushobi” translates to “severely hot day.”
- The Trigger: The term applies to days exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
- Rising Frequency: 41 of the 108 recorded days over 40 degrees Celsius have occurred between 2023 and 2025.
Expanding the Weather Lexicon for Kokushobi
The decision to add the new word to weather forecasts was based on expert opinions and the results of an online survey conducted in February and March. The agency evaluated 13 different candidates before selecting kokushobi.
The move comes in response to a recent increase in the frequency of days where temperatures surpass the 40-degree threshold.
Standard Temperature Classifications
The new term joins a series of existing official classifications used in Japanese weather reporting to describe summer heat.
These include natsubi (summer day) for temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, manatsubi (midsummer day) for those above 30 degrees Celsius, and moshobi (extremely hot day) for temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.
Since statistics began in 1872, there have been 108 days in total where temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.
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