Japan recorded its highest temperature in observed history Wednesday, per Bloomberg.

What's happening?

The mercury in Tamba, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, reached 41.2 degrees Celsius (106.2 degrees Fahrenheit) — an unprecedented mark in the country.

Japanese broadcaster NHK first reported the record-breaking heat, with similar temperatures recorded in other prefectures and cities. NHK indicated that a heatstroke alert was issued for 29 prefectures.

The temperature broke the previous record of 41.1 C (106 F), set in the city of Hamamatsu in 2020.

On Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an early warning for extreme weather in August, using a system with severity indicators of "very high," "very low," and "no warning."

The entire country was marked as having a very high chance of life-threatening heat.

On Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported that "10,800 people in Japan were sent to hospital with heatstroke last week, with 16 heat-related deaths" in what was the "latest in a series of unprecedented temperature spikes in Japan."

The outlet added that 2024 was Japan's hottest year on record and that temperatures in 2025 have continued to surpass previous highs.

Why is a record high temperature in Japan important?

Excessive heat is a form of extreme weather, and higher global temperatures and warming seas are the primary causes.

France 24 observed that those conditions have created "ever more erratic weather patterns, and Japan is no exception." Though climate is not weather and vice versa, climate instability supercharges extreme weather.

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Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and coastal flooding have always occurred, but in recent years, these events have become more disruptive, more dangerous, and more frequent — and they have wrought more destruction than they have previously.

While certain extreme weather, such as flooding in Central Texas and wildfires in Los Angeles and Maui, might seem to pose more immediate risks, extreme heat is a silent killer.

On Monday, ABC News took a look at sustained higher nighttime temperatures in the United States and reiterated a surprising detail about these superpowered heat waves: They're deadlier than all other forms of extreme weather combined.

"Extreme heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States, with heat waves responsible for more deaths than other extreme weather events like tornadoes, flooding, or hurricanes, according to the National Weather Service," the outlet noted.

That's also the case worldwide.

Heat-related deaths are particularly worrisome, because as NBC News cautioned, symptoms of heat-related illness can be subtle and hard to miss "until it's too late." And while extreme temperatures are deadlier for at-risk groups, they can be fatal to the young and healthy.

At a pair of outdoor graduation ceremonies in New Jersey last month, more than 100 people were sickened by extreme heat, many of whom were students.

What's being done about it?

In Japan, the government has kept the populace aware of heat risks and cracked down on workplace safety as temperatures spike.

Understanding key climate issues is a crucial way to prepare for extreme weather.

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