Sandstorm sweeping China hits Japan, South Korea as air quality worsens
- Sandstorm particles were detected for the first time in the northern and western parts of Japan since 2021
- AirKorea warned that all regions of the country would have ‘very unhealthy’ air because of the dust
Sandstorm particles have been detected in the northern and western parts of Japan and are expected to be found throughout Thursday, according to a Wednesday statement from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Visibility could be less than 5km in some places, it said. Particles were detected in Tokyo for the first time in two years, according to local broadcaster TBS, citing the JMA.
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The China Meteorological Administration issued its second sandstorm warning of the week, advising of bad air lasting Thursday and Friday and sweeping across the nation from Inner Mongolia to Beijing to Shanghai.
In Beijing, where sandstorms have been frequent since early March, a gallows humour has set in, with “吃土” or “eating dirt” trending on social media. Memes were also spreading across WeChat groups, such as a cartoon of a dust storm turning a commuting worker into a Terracotta Warrior.
The dust has also spurred an international blame game. China’s chief meteorologist said the most recent sandstorms originated in Mongolia, where warm and dry weather evaporated moisture in the soil, creating more loose particles to be swept up by the wind.
China’s Global Times newspaper also lashed out at South Korean media headlines that described the sandstorms as Chinese in origin.
