Record heat, drought threaten Japan's rice harvest

The record-breaking heat and drought in the summer of 2025 have raised concerns about the impact on crops, and high temperatures and low rainfall are expected to persist in August.

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TOKYO -

New average temperature records for June and July were set in 2025, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, and there has been a surge in heatstroke patients in hospitals.

Exacerbated by a lack of rain, crop growth is now being affected in key rice-producing areas such as the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions.

The data for the average monthly temperatures goes back more than three decades.

The water levels in some dams have fallen dramatically, and central and local governments are issuing urgent calls for water conservation.

In July, the number of locations that recorded a maximum temperature of 35 deg C or higher totaled 4,565, the most since comparable data became available in 2010.

Cases of heatstroke have also soared, with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reporting that a record 17,229 people were transported by ambulance in June—the most in a month since it started collecting the data in 2010.