Japan Climate
Top 5 Cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Sapporo
This month in numbers
Japan experienced a significantly warmer April, with an average temperature of 10.62°C, 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 also saw warmer-than-average conditions in Japan, ranking as the 20th warmest such period on record with an anomaly of +1.3°C.
What changed
The past three months in Japan have been notably warmer than average, with February, March, and April all recording positive temperature anomalies. March 2026, in particular, saw a significant anomaly of +1.9°C. This trend aligns with the broader global picture, as global land temperatures for the February–April 2026 period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Japan's 1-month anomaly of +1.21°C places it 157th out of 234 regions globally, while its 3-month anomaly of +1.25°C ranks it 153rd.
What’s driving change?
The current climate in Japan is influenced by a Neutral ENSO state, with a weekly Niño 3.4 SST anomaly of +0.9°C as of late April 2026. While currently neutral, there is a strong forecast for an evolving El Niño phase in the coming months, with a 61% probability for May-July and 79% for June-August. El Niño typically brings warmer and wetter conditions to East Asia during winter, and while the current state is neutral, the warming trend observed could be a precursor to these teleconnections. Japan experienced significant snowfall and record-breaking cold in early February 2026, particularly in northern regions like Aomori, where some areas received over 183 cm of snow in 24 hours. This heavy snowfall led to at least 46 fatalities and numerous injuries across the country. Following this, a powerful spring storm swept across Japan in late March and early April, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that caused a landslide in Nagasaki Prefecture and damaged cherry blossoms in Tokyo.
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.