Japan’s ‘2050 Weather Forecast’ highlights extreme heat in the future
A newly updated climate awareness initiative in Japan is drawing attention to what life could look like in 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions continue their current trajectory.
The initiative, which has as its centerpiece the 2050 Weather Forecast video, comes as Japan grapples with increasingly severe heat.
The newly introduced term kokushobi, or “extreme heat day”, describes days when temperatures reach 40°C or higher.
Such conditions have regularly dominated national headlines, while reports that three lions died from heat stroke at a Tokyo Zoo have further highlighted the growing
impacts of rising temperatures.
When tomorrow arrives ahead of schedule
The new video updates an earlier forecast produced by Japan’s national broadcaster, NHK, in 2014 as part of a campaign by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which dramatically highlights how weather reports in 2050 will be characterized by extreme heat.
Featuring the same weather forecaster and climate scientist, the latest version reflects both accelerating global warming and the latest scientific analysis.
Several scenarios presented in the 2014 forecast have already become reality years earlier than anticipated. Among them are prolonged periods of temperatures exceeding 35°C, once presented as a potential future outcome for mid-century Japan.
The updated forecast imagines conditions in 2050 under current climate policies.
It projects that “extreme heat days” could be recorded in as many as 157 locations across the country.
Measures to protect public health could include restrictions on outdoor activities, preventing children from playing outside and construction workers from carrying out work in open-air conditions.
The video also warns of mounting pressures on food production and daily life. One example suggests that a popular Japanese pork cutlet rice dish could become a luxury item.
It also highlights the possibility of increasingly destructive “super typhoons” bringing severe damage across the country.
Towards a decarbonized society
At the same time, the forecast points to solutions, including a faster transition to renewable energy and wider adoption of electric vehicles as part of the shift towards a decarbonized society.
The initiative has been supported by the UN in Japan, and the video has been made freely available for public use.
Its release comes amid growing calls for countries to strengthen efforts not only to cut emissions but also to protect communities from climate impacts already being felt today.
“Because even at full speed, we cannot outrun climate change,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a speech on 28 June.
“Its impacts are already here – compounding and cascading.”
Footballers join climate awareness campaign
Professional football players are also helping bring the climate message to new audiences.
Japan’s professional football league, the J.LEAGUE, has introduced measures to reduce heat-related risks for both players and spectators, including adjusting match schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day during increasingly hot and humid summers.
The league has also partnered with the campaign I am one of the 89% who want to stop global warming, promoted jointly by the United Nations and Japanese media organizations.
Six J.LEAGUE Climate Action Ambassadors have recorded video messages for the initiative, including Hiroki Yamada, a long-time star of Júbilo Iwata.
In his message, Mr. Yamada expresses concern that children may increasingly be unable to play outdoors during summer and emphasizes the role individuals can play in addressing climate change.
His message was shown on the giant screen at Júbilo Iwata’s opening home match of the 2026/27 season on 8 August. The match kicked off at 7 pm as part of league-wide efforts to reduce heat-related risks.
Organizers hope that reaching football supporters alongside wider audiences will help encourage greater public engagement on climate action at a time when the impacts of rising temperatures are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
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