Japan Swelters Through Hottest Summer While Parts of China Log Warmest August on Record

Japan has recorded its hottest summer on record after a sweltering three months marked by thousands of instances of "extreme heat," with meteorologists warning that unseasonably high temperatures will continue through the autumn. From a report: The average temperature in June, July and August was 1.76C higher than the average recorded between 1991 and 2020, the Japan meteorological agency said, according to Kyodo news agency. It was the hottest summer since comparable records were first kept in 1898 and tied the record set in 2023, the agency said. Japan has recorded 8,821 instances of "extreme heat" -- a temperature of 35C or higher -- so far this year, easily beating the previous record of 6,692 set in 2023, it added. The brutal heat was not confined to Japan. Swathes of China logged the hottest August on record, the weather service said. The hot weather prompted delays to the start of the new school year in some Chinese cities. State media reported on Tuesday that some schools and universities in Jiangxi, Chongqing, and Sichuan provinces had pushed the return to school out to 9 September, citing high temperatures. China Daily said Chongqing authorities had extended school holidays for all kindergarten, primary and secondary schools, and at least a dozen colleges and universities, "to ensure the safety and health of teachers and students amid the extreme heat."

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