Published: 15:36, August 5, 2025
Japan sets record high temperatures, worries mount over rice crops
By Reuters
Pedestrians use their handheld fans on a hot day in Tokyo on Aug 5, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO - Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops.

Readings in the eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, surpassed the previous high of 41.2 C marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said.

So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

READ MORE: Japan records highest temperature ever as heat wave lingers

A rice field in Mito, Japan, where farmers are being encouraged to grow more of the staple crop to make up for shortages on store shelves on May 22, 2025. (PHOTO / AP)

"Today is murderously hot," said 63-year-old auto worker Takeshi Ishikawa, who was filling his water bottle at a fountain in central Tokyo. "If it gets to 42 degrees, it would be hotter than my bath that I prepare at 40 degrees."

Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan has registered critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest.

High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages.

Japan's new Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (left) reports to the ministry for the first time after receiving the appointment in Tokyo on May 21, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

"We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said.

READ MORE: Protect workers from heat waves or face fines, Japan tells firms

Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis.