Climate change impacts in Japan

Climate change impacts in Japan - what the IPCC 4th Assessment Report has found:
  • About 1.0°C rise in 20th century, 2 to 3°C rise in large cities [10.2.2].
  • Increasing incidences of daily maximum temperature >35°C, decrease in extremely low temperature [10.2.3].
  • Changes in length of growing season, based on observations: Gingko biloba (a deciduous Chinese tree) leaf-unfolding and leaf-fall 2.6 days/decade longer (1953-2000).
  • Studies (also: Asia, Europe) find that various birds and mammals exhibit trends toward larger body size, probably due to increasing food availability, with regionally increasing temperatures [1.3.5.4].
  • Rice yield is projected to decrease up to 40% in irrigated lowland area of central and southern Japan under doubled CO2 atmosphere. [10.4.1.1]

WWF work

WWF climate adaptation project

WWF Japan and WWF South Pacific coordinated to contribute with water tanks to Kabara Island in Fiji.

Kabara Island is suffering from a fresh water shortage due to lack of rain caused by climate change. This adaptation project was a result of the Climate Witness Symposium held by WWF Japan in 2005, where two witnesses from Fiji and Nepal were invited.

Penina Moce, a Climate Witness from Fiji, reported to the Japanese people their need for water tanks, and one company collected donations from their employees, which enabled WWF Japan to send water tanks to the island.
Rice fields on the outskirt of Satoyama Aichi-Seto 'Kaisho Forest'. 'Satoyama' means secondary ... / ©: WWF-Canon / WWF-Japan / Mima Junkichi
Rice fields on the outskirt of Satoyama Aichi-Seto 'Kaisho Forest'. 'Satoyama' means secondary forests, having been used sustainably. One of the Japanese typical forests. Japan.
© WWF-Canon / WWF-Japan / Mima Junkichi

WWF contacts

  • Masako KONISHI

    Conservation Officer, Climate Change Programme

    WWF Japan,
    Tokyo

    +81 3 3769 3509

  • Naoyuki Yamagishi

    Leader, Climate Change Programme

    WWF Japan,
    Tokyo

    +81 3 3769 3509

Climate Witnesses

WWF runs the Climate Witness programme to collect people's local observations of climate change that are then verified by scientists.
Kenji Ito is a mountain photographer who specialized in taking beautiful winter photos. Recently, even the northern part of Because of climate change, Japan is losing winter characteristics such as heavy and powdery snow in the mountains and floating sea ice. This gives Ito a hard time to take the right photos.
Kenji Ito, WWF Climate Witness, Japan
Katsuo Sasaki is a rice farmer. He has had difficulty in recent years growing good quality rice because there are more hot days and more noxious bugs. He is trying hard to adapt to climate change by changing the planting season.
Katsuo Sasaki, WWF Climate Witness, Japan

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Measure your footprint

see all WWF gifts

Building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Photos and graphics © WWF or used with permission. Text available under a Creative Commons licence.