Japan braces for heat as El Nino may intensify to hit farming

TOKYO - El Nino has emerged for the first time in two years and is feared to intensify into a "super El Nino," which would raise the risk of extreme heat in Japan despite the pattern's usual association with cooler summers.

Experts warn such summer heat could deal a blow to Japanese rice quality again this year, as it did during the 2023-2024 El Nino, while farmers are already shifting to heat-tolerant varieties after heat damage in 2023 crop triggered shortages and led to price surges.