Japan experiences hottest summer on record

Japan's average temperature in 2023 summer was the highest since records began 125 years ago, according to the country's weather agency.

The average temperature from June to August was 1.76 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported citing the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The figure was three degrees higher in northern Japan, it said.

On Aug. 10, the city of Itoigawa in the Niigata prefecture, located on Japan's western coast, recorded the country's hottest night ever, when the temperature did not fall below 31.4 C (88.52 F).

According to the NHK, nighttime record highs were observed in 248 locations nationwide.

"Sea surface temperatures around Japan also rose one degree higher than the average. That's also the warmest since records began in 1982," it added.

Last Monday, Japanese scientists described the 2023 summer as "abnormal."