In the rural town of Nikko, north of Tokyo, Motoaki Iijima’s greenhouse glows like a lantern after dark. The 36‑year‑old flower farmer has turned his family’s centuries‑old rice fields into a gerbera farm that now works through the night to escape daytime temperatures that can exceed 35 °C (95 °F) and push greenhouse interiors above 40 °C.
Night shifts become the new normal
Three summers ago a part‑time worker suffered heatstroke while picking sunflowers, prompting Iijima to restructure his operation. “The hours around dusk are really precious,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead under rows of halogen lights. “We’ve gradually become nocturnal. It’s about protecting our bodies, and ultimately, our lives.”
He now starts work in the early evening and pauses only when the morning sun becomes unsafe again. Veteran worker Miyoko Asada, 68, arrives shortly after sunrise to cut asters before temperatures climb past safety limits.
Heat threatens poultry farms as well
Nearby, poultry farmer Tetsuya Usuba recalls losing more than 500 laying hens to heatstroke six summers ago. His response was to automate a midnight feeding routine: lights flick on at 2:30 a.m., waking 4,400 caged hens to eat before the heat suppresses their appetite. He has added fans, roof‑spray systems and citric acid to the water, yet a recent spike above 35 °C still claimed 130 birds.
“Summer has become a new threat to producers like us, something as scary as an outbreak of avian influenza,” Usuba said.
National impact and government response
Japan’s agricultural sector is feeling the strain. Around 70 % of its farmers are 65 or older, a demographic especially vulnerable to heat stress. In 2024, a record 59 agricultural workers died from extreme heat, more than double the 2021 toll. About 60 % of farmers surveyed by the Japan Weather Association reported personal heatstroke incidents or knowing someone who suffered one.
The Lancet Countdown reported that heat exposure cost Japan’s farms 926 million labour hours in 2024 alone, translating to roughly ¥5.6 trillion (about $46 billion) in lost income—about 1 % of the nation’s GDP. To mitigate risk, the government introduced workplace regulations in 2025 requiring heatstroke reporting procedures and emergency response plans. It is also promoting smart‑farming technologies such as drones and robots to reduce workers’ exposure.
Adaptation remains largely manual
Despite high‑tech initiatives, many farms continue to rely on hands‑on adjustments. At Iijima’s farm, workers still check harvested flowers for wilting leaves before loading trucks, often before 8 a.m. when the heat is still tolerable. “Look, those leaves are already wilting,” a worker called out, prompting Iijima to pause and assess the overcast sky.
As Japan’s summers grow hotter and more unpredictable, farmers across the country—from rice growers in Vietnam to winery workers in Spain—are rewriting the agrarian clock, moving labor to cooler nighttime and early‑morning hours in a bid to survive the climate challenge.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
