Japan Introduces New Term "Kokushobi" for "Cruelly Hot Days" Exceeding 40C

Japan just invented a new word for ‘cruel heat’

Temperatures in Japan have reached a breaking point, and the language is shifting to keep up. The Japan Meteorological Agency has introduced a new term for days exceeding 40 C: kokushobi, or "cruelly hot day." In a culture with a deep relationship between seasons and language, CBC News's Johanna Wagstaffe explores how the arrival of this word is a sobering signal of climate change.