SmogRank / Episodes / Japan

Japan, February 2026

For 1 day, on 23 February 2026, 8 cities in Japan had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Minamikyushu, Kagoshima, Japan: 34.9 µg/m³ on 23 February, about 4.5× its usual 7.8.

No cause namedWe have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached8in 1 country
Days123 February 2026
Worst day23 February8 cities counted
Furthest above usual4.5×Minamikyushu

Day by day

23 February 8 cities at twice their usual or more
NankokuKochiAkiInoSusakiShikokuchūōIkedachōNiihamaKan’onjichōShinagawaMimaZentsujichóTakinomiyaNakamuraYoshinogawaMarugameKamojimachō-jōgejimaImabariHiragiMatsuyamaShidoIyoAnanTokushimaKasaokaOnomichiFukuyamaAsakuchiTamanoUwajimaMiharaKurashikiTakeharaNarutochō-mitsuishiShin’ichiYawatahamaOkayamaSōjaTakahashiHigashihiroshimaKureBizenKariyaSumotoGobōHiroshimaNiimiGionAioiMiyoshiIwakuniTatsunoYanaiŌtakeTsuyamaMinatoIkarugaKainanTanabeYaeHimejiHigashinozoeKakogawachō-honmachiAkashiHikariIwadeSennanSaikiTsukumiuraOnoIzumisanoKudamatsuKinokawaKunisakiKobeShūnanKishiwadaUnnanTsurusakiKurayoshiNishiwakiIzumiYonagoYasugichōŌitaNishinomiyaSakaiSandachōŌdachō-ōdaHashimotoMieTottori-shiKawachi-NaganoIzumoGōtsuchōMatsueAmagasakiTakarazukaSakaiminatoHamadaSayamaNobeokaBeppuTondabayashichōHōfuHabikinoOsakaMasudaToyonakaYaoHigashiosakaHyūgaYufuShingūKashiwaraYamaguchiYonoFukuchiyamaKashihara-shiHōryūjiIkomaTakatsukiToyookaHirakataTenriAyabeNara-shiKameokaHagiNantanKumanoYawataUbeSugaiNakatsuKōtariKizugawaTakanabeJōyōBuzenOnodaKyōtangoUjiShintomiMineOwaseMiyazuMaizuruKyotoAsoNagatoNabariŌtsuMiyazakiYukuhashiKandaHitaKusatsuIgaShimonosekiKitahamaŌzuKitakyushuTagawaKikuchiKōkaObamaUkihaNichinanMifuneŌmihachimanNōgataNakamaTanushimarumachi-toyokiIizukaKotōKogaYoukaichiUekimachi-mōnoYameKumamotoTakashimaMatsusakaUtoMiyakonojōKameyamaTsuOgōriTamanaSaikūHikoneWakasugiTosuHitoyoshiIseChikugoHonmachiKasugaKogaNagahamaSuzukaŌmutaTsurugaAraoFukuokaShimaYanagawaKanzakimachi-kanzakiYokkaichiTobaInabeŌyanomachi-noboritateSagaKuwanaKaizuKaminomaTokonameMaebaru-chūōMinamataItoshimaŌgakiIbiMinamichitaHashimaHigashigōHandaIzumiMizuhoTakuAmaTōkaiHekinanKashimaMotosuIchinomiyaHondomachi-hondoKariyaNishioGifuTakeoNagoyaIsahayaUreshinomachi-shimojukuChiryūKaratsuAnjōSendaiKakamigaharaŌmuraNisshinTaharaOwariasahiInuyamaOkazakiImarichō-kōKushikinoGamagōriToyotaObitaNagasakiSetoTogitsuKaniKaseda-shirakameMinokamoToyohashiTajimiSaseboIkiMatsuuraTokiSaikaiKosaiShinshiroHamamatsuGeroHamakitaIwataTsushimaKakegawaKikugawaIidaShimadaFujiedaGijangUlsanInaGotōUngsangShizuokaBusanYangsanGyeongjuKimhaeMinami-AlpsKofuKanoyaSaijōTakamatsuKobayashiKirishimaKagoshimaSekimachiMinamikyushu
20 Feb212223242526
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

SaijōSaijō, 20 February: 16.4 µg/m³, 1.6× usualSaijō, 21 February: 26.3 µg/m³, 2.6× usualSaijō, 22 February: 26.6 µg/m³, 2.6× usualSaijō, 23 February: 30.0 µg/m³, 3.0× usualSaijō, 24 February: 17.7 µg/m³, 1.8× usualSaijō, 25 February: 11.6 µg/m³, 1.1× usualSaijō, 26 February: 9.1 µg/m³, 0.9× usualMinamikyushuMinamikyushu, 20 February: 6.3 µg/m³, 0.8× usualMinamikyushu, 21 February: 11.5 µg/m³, 1.5× usualMinamikyushu, 22 February: 9.7 µg/m³, 1.2× usualMinamikyushu, 23 February: 34.9 µg/m³, 4.5× usualMinamikyushu, 24 February: 15.0 µg/m³, 1.9× usualMinamikyushu, 25 February: 5.3 µg/m³, 0.7× usualMinamikyushu, 26 February: 6.2 µg/m³, 0.8× usualKagoshimaKagoshima, 20 February: 9.3 µg/m³, 1.0× usualKagoshima, 21 February: 13.2 µg/m³, 1.5× usualKagoshima, 22 February: 11.7 µg/m³, 1.3× usualKagoshima, 23 February: 33.5 µg/m³, 3.8× usualKagoshima, 24 February: 15.5 µg/m³, 1.7× usualKagoshima, 25 February: 6.1 µg/m³, 0.7× usualKagoshima, 26 February: 7.2 µg/m³, 0.8× usualKirishimaKirishima, 20 February: 8.7 µg/m³, 1.0× usualKirishima, 21 February: 12.4 µg/m³, 1.5× usualKirishima, 22 February: 10.8 µg/m³, 1.3× usualKirishima, 23 February: 31.2 µg/m³, 3.7× usualKirishima, 24 February: 15.9 µg/m³, 1.9× usualKirishima, 25 February: 4.9 µg/m³, 0.6× usualKirishima, 26 February: 6.2 µg/m³, 0.7× usualSekimachiSekimachi, 20 February: 8.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usualSekimachi, 21 February: 10.3 µg/m³, 1.5× usualSekimachi, 22 February: 11.0 µg/m³, 1.6× usualSekimachi, 23 February: 29.7 µg/m³, 4.4× usualSekimachi, 24 February: 22.7 µg/m³, 3.4× usualSekimachi, 25 February: 8.2 µg/m³, 1.2× usualSekimachi, 26 February: 5.4 µg/m³, 0.8× usualKanoyaKanoya, 20 February: 8.5 µg/m³, 0.8× usualKanoya, 21 February: 12.4 µg/m³, 1.1× usualKanoya, 22 February: 11.3 µg/m³, 1.0× usualKanoya, 23 February: 29.2 µg/m³, 2.7× usualKanoya, 24 February: 14.6 µg/m³, 1.3× usualKanoya, 25 February: 5.5 µg/m³, 0.5× usualKanoya, 26 February: 5.1 µg/m³, 0.5× usualTakamatsuTakamatsu, 20 February: 14.2 µg/m³, 1.7× usualTakamatsu, 21 February: 23.1 µg/m³, 2.7× usualTakamatsu, 22 February: 21.0 µg/m³, 2.4× usualTakamatsu, 23 February: 25.6 µg/m³, 3.0× usualTakamatsu, 24 February: 17.9 µg/m³, 2.1× usualTakamatsu, 25 February: 6.5 µg/m³, 0.8× usualTakamatsu, 26 February: 4.7 µg/m³, 0.5× usualKobayashiKobayashi, 20 February: 7.9 µg/m³, 1.0× usualKobayashi, 21 February: 11.8 µg/m³, 1.5× usualKobayashi, 22 February: 11.8 µg/m³, 1.5× usualKobayashi, 23 February: 25.0 µg/m³, 3.2× usualKobayashi, 24 February: 14.6 µg/m³, 1.9× usualKobayashi, 25 February: 4.4 µg/m³, 0.6× usualKobayashi, 26 February: 5.1 µg/m³, 0.7× usual20 Feb212223242526
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
MinamikyushuKagoshima, Japan1 34.923 February7.84.5×
SekimachiGifu, Japan1 29.723 February6.74.4×
KagoshimaKagoshima, Japan1 33.523 February8.93.8×
KirishimaKagoshima, Japan1 31.223 February8.53.7×
KobayashiMiyazaki, Japan1 25.023 February7.73.2×
TakamatsuKagawa, Japan1 25.623 February8.63.0×
SaijōEhime, Japan1 30.023 February10.13.0×
KanoyaKagoshima, Japan1 29.223 February11.02.7×

Daily means in µg/m³. Usual: the city's median for this time of year (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that.

Against other episodes in Japan

Number 25 of 27 episodes in Japan since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 27.

Use this page

SmogRank, Japan, February 2026: 8 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 23 February 2026, smogrank.com/episodes/2026-02-japan-2 (accessed 2 October 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.