KIUKO NOTOYA, FRANCESCA REGALADO2026年7月24日周二，东京浅草寺。当天日本部分地区记录到至少40摄氏度的高温。 Issei Kato/ReutersHealth and weather authorities in Japan were at a loss. A record number of people suffered from heat stroke last year as more cities experienced their highest-ever temperatures, despite official warnings about the dangers of excessive heat.日本的卫生和气象当局一度束手无策。尽管官方针对过高温危险发出警告，但随着越来越多的城市出现有史以来的最高气温，去年中暑人数达到了创纪录的水平。They decided to tackle the problem by giving it a name. Earlier this year, the Japan Meteorological Agency held a public poll to select a name for a day of temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher, to signal that precautions were needed. The winner, with more than 40 percent of the vote, was kokushobi, meaning “cruel heat day.”他们决定通过给这种现象起个名字来应对这个问题。今年早些时候，日本气象厅举行了一次公开投票，为气温达到或超过40摄氏度的日子征集名称，以提醒人们需要采取预防措施。最终胜出的是获得超过40%选票的“kokushobi”，意为“酷暑日”。The term got its first use on Tuesday, when three cities in central Japan recorded 40-degree temperatures, a first for the country this year. Officials urged people to stay indoors, use air-conditioning and drink water.该词于周二首次被使用，当时日本中部的三个城市录得了40度的高温，这是该国今年首次出现这种情况。官员们敦促民众留在室内、使用空调并多喝水。There were signs that many people had heeded the warnings, as popular sites such as Osaka Castle and Kyoto’s Kiyomizu Temple saw smaller crowds than usual on Tuesday.有迹象表明，许多人听从了警告，因为大阪城和京都清水寺等热门景点周二的游客比往常要少。“Numbers are difficult to understand because people perceive them differently. By giving it the name ‘cruel heat day,’ people will understand it better just by hearing it, and they’ll feel that today is dangerous,” said Taro Kawasato, the assistant director of the Japan Meteorological Agency’s climate prediction division.“数字令人很难理解，因为人们对它们的感知各不相同。通过命名‘酷暑日’，人们一听就能更好地理解，并且会感觉到今天是危险的一天，”日本气象厅气候预测部门助理主任河里太郎（音）说。The agency’s public poll in February and March garnered more than 400,000 votes, according to a statement. Kokushobi bested a dozen other terms that translate to “dangerously hot day,” “sweaty day” and “sauna day.” Mr. Kawasato said that meteorologists consulted with media and linguistics experts to form the list of names.据声明，该机构在2月和3月进行的公开投票获得了超过40万张选票。“酷暑日” 从十几个其他候选词中脱颖而出，这些词翻译过来包括“危险高温日”、“汗流浃背日”和“桑拿日”。 河里太郎表示，气象学家在制定这份名称清单时，征询了媒体和语言学专家的意见。And the dangers persist, even with slightly cooler weather on the horizon. Last week, even before the first kokushobi, 14 people died from heat-related illnesses, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.尽管天气预计将略微转凉，这种危险依然存在。日本消防厅表示，上周，甚至在第一个“酷暑日”到来之前，已有14人死于与高温相关的疾病。Japan is the latest country where officials have sought new terms to communicate the risks of rising temperatures.多个国家使用新术语来传达气温上升的风险，日本是最新的一个。In Britain, the Met Office began issuing extreme heat warnings in 2021 to highlight the impact of high temperatures on health, infrastructure and public services. (A red warning, the highest level, was issued when a heat wave baked European countries last month.) The United Kingdom Health Security Agency also issues “heat health alerts” for England to inform those in the health sector about the potential effects of high temperatures, especially for older people and others who are more vulnerable.在英国，英国气象局于2021年开始发布极端高温警告，以强调高温对健康、基础设施和公共服务的影响。（上个月热浪炙烤欧洲国家时，该机构发布了最高级别的红色预警。）英国卫生安全局还针对英格兰发布“高温健康警报”， 向医疗卫生界人员通报高温的潜在影响，特别是对老年人和其他脆弱群体的影响。In recent years, Chinese-language media have also searched for phrases to describe the summer heat. News headlines in Taiwan have described the weather as being like a sauna, with people “roasting like a sweet potato.”近年来，中文媒体也在寻找词句来描述夏季的炎热。台湾的新闻头条将这种天气比作桑拿，人们“热成烤番薯”。Health authorities in Shenzhen, a city on China’s southern coast, said in a social media post that temperatures in early July had risen to “barbecue mode.” During that period, 62 people called for ambulances because of heat stroke, two of whom died, the authorities said.中国南部沿海城市深圳的卫生部门在社交媒体上发文称，7月上旬的气温已升至“烧烤模式”。该部门表示，在此期间，有62人因中暑呼叫救护车，其中两人死亡。Mr. Kawasato said that the Japanese government started issuing heat stroke alerts in 2021, as sweltering days grew more frequent across the country. Last year, 30 locations recorded temperatures of at least 40 degrees Celsius, the highest of which was 41.8 degrees — or 107 degrees Fahrenheit — in Isesaki, a city north of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.河里表示，随着全国各地酷热天气日益频繁，日本政府于2021年开始发布中暑预警。根据日本气象厅的数据，去年共有30个地点的气温达到至少40摄氏度，其中最高气温出现在东京北部的伊势崎市，达到41.8度。Heat stroke is among the heat-related illnesses that occur when the body loses the ability to cool itself, putting pressure on the heart. Symptoms can range from confusion, dizziness and nausea to a rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing.中暑是与高温相关的疾病之一，当人体失去自我降温能力时就会发生，会给心脏带来负担。其症状可能包括意识模糊、头晕和恶心，甚至心跳加速和呼吸急促。Last summer in Japan, emergency workers responded to more than 100,000 cases of heat stroke from May to September, the most since the Fire and Disaster Management Agency began collecting data in 2008.去年夏天，在日本，从5月到9月，急救人员处理了超过10万起中暑病例，这是自日本消防厅2008年开始收集数据以来的最高纪录。Kiuko Notoya是一名常驻东京的记者/研究员，报道日本新闻。Francesca Regalado是时报记者，报道突发新闻。翻译：晋其角点击查看本文英文版。