Japan swelters through rising heat – in pictures

For Japan, days where the mercury soars above 40C now have their own term – kokushobi (酷暑日), or ‘cruelly hot day’, as rising temperatures cause heatstroke deaths and impact on crop yields across the country

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/22/japan-heat-kokushobi-cruelly-hot-40c-weather">Japan records its first ‘cruelly hot day’ as cities swelter in 40-degree heat