Hot temperatures this summer are expected to spur consumer spending, which in turn will boost corporate earnings and give a lift to the entire economy.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, temperatures this month and in August are expected to be much higher than last year, when businesses were hit hard by a cool summer.
If this summer is as hot as 1994 -- when temperatures were sizzling -- Japan's gross domestic product will increase by around 2 trillion yen for the year through next March 31, according to estimates by the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.