Latest news with #riceharvest
CNN
5 days ago
- Climate
- CNN
Japan sets record high temperatures prompting worries over rice crops
Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. Readings in the eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, surpassed the previous high of 41.2 C marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. 'Today is murderously hot,' said 63-year-old auto worker Takeshi Ishikawa, who was filling his water bottle at a fountain in central Tokyo. 'If it gets to 42 degrees, it would be hotter than my bath that I prepare at 40 degrees.' Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan has registered critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. 'We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage' from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis.
CNA
6 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Japan sets record temperatures, worries mount over rice crops
Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan saw critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday to increase rice production to prevent future shortages. "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Japan sets record temperatures, worries mount over rice crops
TOKYO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. The eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, set the record to surpass the previous high of 41.2 degrees Celsius marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan saw critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis.
Malay Mail
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Colour, culture and calls for rights as Dayak parade lights up Kuching
KUCHING, June 22 — Dressed in colourful costumes, some sporting feathered headgear and traditional swords, several thousand of Malaysia's ethnic Dayak people paraded in the streets of Sarawak state on Borneo island yesterday to celebrate the end of the rice harvest season. The Gawai Dayak 2025 Parade in state capital Kuching is the only annual gathering by representatives of around 11 of Sarawak's main Dayak groups — which participants said helps to keep alive a unique part of the Southeast Asian nation's culture. Marchers gathered from early Saturday under the blistering tropical sun, many of them travelling long distances by bus to walk in the parade along the banks of the Sarawak River. 'This gathering is something that is very important to me,' said Joel Zacchaeus Anak Ebi, sporting the traditional Iban headgear worn by one of Borneo's best-known tribes. People 'must know and realise that Sarawak has traditions and cultures that must be preserved,' he told AFP ahead of the march, which was also attended by Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg. Indigenous Iban men gather during the Gawai Dayak Culture Parade in Kuching, Sarawak, on June 21, 2025.— AFP pic 'A day like this brings our people together, especially the younger people, who can easily lose touch with their roots when they move away from Sarawak,' said Dayak village elder Ngindang Rambo, 61. Watching the parade, Masha Timosha, 34, a tour guide from Russia, said she was amazed by the costumes and atmosphere. 'This is just very impressive. I even have my own Sarawakian costume but I didn't put it on,' she told AFP. Malaysia's Dayak people are mainly riverine and hill-dwelling, made up of dozens of ethnic groups, each with their own distinct dialect, customs, laws and practices. Indigenous Iban women gather for the Gawai Dayak Culture Parade in Kuching, Sarawak, on June 21, 2025. — AFP pic Dayak communities, however, have become increasingly under threat from encroaching palm oil forestry and industrial logging, human rights groups and Indigenous organisations have said. Many Indigenous communities in Sarawak face challenges in accessing basic services, Human Rights Watch said in a statement last month, including access to running water, electricity and land titles. Local groups and international observers have also called on the government to 'urgently legislate Indigenous customs and traditions through which Indigenous people have acquired rights to their lands, territories and resources,' the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) said last year. Rainforest-clad Borneo is the world's third-largest island and is shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. — AFP
