Jun Kobayashi and Keiichi Ikeda
This commentary discusses the relationship between Japan’s climate and public health. For example, in Japan, the climate varies in different regions. For this reason, there are regional differences in the food that can be harvested. Furthermore, there are also regional differences in whether people eat specific foods raw, or whether food can be processed for long term storage. These differences influence local occurrence of food poisoning. Conversely, Japan’s regional differences in climate are being lost because of global environmental problems, development of building technology, or imports. In this paper, we explain food sanitation and the relationship between climate and environmental hygiene and occupational health in Japan.