Japan Records Third Hottest Year Ever in 2025

Record Heat for Third Consecutive Year

The Japan Meteorological Agency announced that Japan’s annual average temperature for 2025 was 1.23° Celsius higher than the normal level, which is calculated according to the 30-year average up to 2020. This is the third-highest annual average since 1898, when records were first kept. The top seven highest annual average temperatures have all occurred during the seven-year period from 2019 to 2025. In particular, the years 2024 (+1.48°), 2023 (+1.29°), and 2025 (+1.23°) stand out as the hottest years on record, in a tangible sign of the progression of global warming.

The annual average temperature is calculated by the agency based on observations from 15 locations selected to minimize the influence of urbanization or regional bias.

The summer of 2025 was marked by extreme heat. Of the 153 meteorological stations nationwide, 132 of the locations from Hokkaidō to Kyūshū recorded the highest average summer temperature on record (including nine ties with previous highs). In Okinawa and the Amami Islands, the highest average temperatures for autumn were also recorded.

The global annual average temperature for 2025 is also expected to be the third highest on record, following the record highs for 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Data Sources

• Data on average annual temperatures in Japan (Japanese) from the Japan Meteorological Agency.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © PhotoAC.)