In Japan, across 11 cities, in the quarter century (1974 - 1998) the days of thunder and lightning were confirmed on an average 180 days annually. However, in the quarter century (1999 - 2023) the lightning incidences increased by 16.3% to 209 days per year according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's analysis of the Japanese Meteorological Agency's 50 years of data released by Yonhap News agency.
Accordingly, damage to buildings and home appliances caused by lightning also increased, and insurance payments in 2022 amounted to JPY14.7bn, six times more than that of 2009.
In 2024, the number of certificates of damages due to lightning issued reached about 20,000, the highest ever, said an official at Franklin Japan, a private weather company that develops a lightning observation system and issues "trail certificates" for insurance claims.
On 11 September 2025 about 10,000 households around Tokyo were left without power. Simultaneously, the runway at Haneda Airport was also damaged, resulting in a series of flight cancellations. The cause was ascribed to lightning strikes.
Experts have said the increase in lightning cases has been due to global warming. Professor Takuro Michibata of Kyushu University's Applied Mechanics Research Institute said, "When the temperature rises, it becomes easier to develop the thunderstorm that causes lightning."