Bucking the recent warming trend, the average surface temperature in Japan this year was the lowest since 1997, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Based on data through the end of November, the average surface temperature for 2003 was only 0.1 degree above the annual average for the 1971-2000 period.
The agency attributed the cool weather to westerly winds and other factors.
1990, 1994 and 1998 were the three warmest years in Japan as far as annual average surface temperature. The 1990s were generally warm, apparently due to global warming.
The agency also calculated that the average global surface temperature for 2003 was 0.49 degree above the normal average, slightly behind the 0.64 of 1998 and 0.54 of 2002.
The World Meteorological Organization, which had similar findings, said the global surface temperature for this year is expected to be 0.45 degree above the annual average for the 1961-1990 period, making it the third-warmest year in 1,000 years.