2,000 firefighters deployed to fight Japan's worst wildfire in decades

Japan is facing a rare and destructive wildfire that has unexpectedly struck the country, continuing to rage through the northeastern coastal city of Ofunato. Simultaneously, the northernmost island of Hokkaido is experiencing record-breaking snowfall, as the nation grapples with its worst wildfire since the late 1980s. These concurrent events highlight the increasing vulnerability of Japan to extreme weather phenomena.

Over 2,000 Self-Defense Force soldiers and firefighters have been deployed to the fire site. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated in parliament, "Although the spread of the fire is inevitable, we will take all possible measures to ensure that it does not affect the homes of the people." The fire has already forced more than 1,200 residents to flee their homes, and according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, at least 84 houses have been damaged.

Professor Yusuke Yokoyama of the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, stated that the scale of this wildfire has shocked local residents. "People didn't expect such a large-scale bushfire to occur because they think of Japan as a very humid country," he said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He added, "This is the largest fire in Japan in decades, and especially after the fires in Los Angeles, people saw how quickly the fire spread, which really shocked the Japanese public."

The wildfire was caused by a combination of rare weather patterns and geographical factors. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the Tohoku region of Japan, including Iwate Prefecture, experienced its driest winter since records began in 1946. Professor Yokoyama stated that cold, dry air meeting moist air from the ocean exacerbated the situation, creating an unstable mixture. "Now, you see heavy snow on one side of Japan – many Australians are there skiing – but on the other side of the archipelago, we have no moisture and very dry conditions, where you see the bushfires," he said.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the fire has burned approximately 2,100 hectares of forest since it began a week ago. Professor Yokoyama stated that the unique topography of steep mountains has also exacerbated the severity of the fire. He said that fire spreads faster on slopes because flames can easily reach unburned fuel ahead of the fire. Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior climate scientist at Climate Central in California, said that the combination of challenging terrain and extreme weather made the fire difficult to control. "The mountains create a rain shadow, which means the area doesn't get much precipitation, exacerbating the dry conditions," she said.

Ms. Trudeau said that these fires may foreshadow a more unstable climate for Japan in the future. "These large fires are rare, but they may become more common as climate change continues to alter weather patterns," Ms. Trudeau told ABC. She also stated that it is clear that global warming is making extreme weather more frequent and severe. "Climate change doesn't directly start fires, but it is making fires burn bigger, faster, and making the conditions that make them harder to put out more frequent and severe," she said.

Scientists at NASA and NOAA say that 2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record. Professor Yokoyama emphasized that Japan is becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events. "There is no direct relationship between fire and climate change, but we can say that global warming may change the trajectories experienced by different regions and the severity with which they are affected," he said. "We may see more extreme weather events, such as the floods that lasted six months last summer, or more severe snowfall, or more disaster events," Professor Yokoyama added.

As the world faces increasingly frequent natural disasters, experts such as Martin Okata, a senior climate and disaster risk specialist at the Asian Development Bank, believe that governments must take proactive measures. "We need early warning systems, public awareness campaigns, and climate adaptation strategies to reduce disaster risk," he told ABC. He also stated that sustainable land management and fire prevention policies are crucial for addressing the challenges posed by changing weather patterns.

For Professor Yokoyama, it is crucial to prepare Japanese communities for these types of events. He pointed out that Japan's aging population, especially in rural areas, poses unique challenges to rapid evacuation. "People live by fishing and away from the forest, so bushfires have never been a major issue," he said. "But we need to change that perception, and I am working with my students to communicate the science of these events in order to better prepare for the future."