Japan Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Sapporo
This month in numbers
Japan experienced an average temperature of 10.62°C in April 2026, marking an anomaly of +1.2°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked as the 17th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 5.48°C, an anomaly of +1.3°C, ranking as the 20th warmest such period on record.
What changed
Japan's recent warmth in April follows a generally warmer trend for the year, with March 2026 also experiencing a significant anomaly of +1.9°C. This contributes to a long-term warming trend for Japan, with the latest full year (2025) being the warmest on record at 13.45°C, an anomaly of +1.64°C against the 1961–1990 baseline. While Japan's April anomaly of +1.21°C placed it 150th globally for the month, the broader Asian group, which Japan is part of, saw a mean anomaly of +1.77°C, indicating a widespread warming across the continent.
What’s driving change?
The warming observed in Japan aligns with the broader global trend of increasing temperatures. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but an El Niño is strongly forecast to develop from May-July 2026, with a high probability of intensification in the following months. Historically, El Niño events have been associated with warmer, wetter winters in East Asia, including Japan. However, Japan also experienced a period of record-breaking cold and heavy snowfall in early February 2026, with at least six locations setting all-time cold records on February 9th. This severe winter weather, which resulted in at least 46 fatalities, was attributed to a strong winter pressure pattern.
Looking ahead
The strong El Niño forecast to develop in the coming months suggests a likelihood of warmer summer days and potentially more typhoons for Japan, along with an extended rainy season..
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Japan
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Japan changing?
Japan is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Japan come from?
Climate data for Japan comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Japan climate data cover?
The Japan climate profile covers Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Japan
How often is the Japan climate update refreshed?
The Japan climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.