A heat-exposed worker wearing an air-conditioned jacket which has cooling fans on its back, works at the top of an under construction apartment building in Tokyo. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Blistering temperatures rising to 40C and above will now be branded “cruelly hot” or “kokusho-bi” in Japan, the weather agency said on Friday (April 17, 2026), as heatwave days become increasingly frequent in the region. By using this designation, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) “will more effectively call for vigilance against extremely high temperatures”, it said. Published – April 17, 2026 03:26 pm IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation Stalin stands exposed after PM Modi’s assurance on delimitation: Edappadi Palaniswami Study shows how emotional engagement is key to improving Math performance