El Nino likely to emerge by summer, says weather bureau

It's "El niño".

@koiwai

Sure it is. In Spanish. This is an English site. No tilde on my keyboard....

El nino didn't emerge last summer and last into winter.

Just another excuse to raise prices on rice and wheat products.

So what does this mean for weather in Japan?

gokai, if I understand it correctly, it should mean cooler ocean temperatures in the western Pacific and less evaporation, so less moisture in the air leading to drier conditions. Strong El Nino conditions can lead to drought along the western side of the Pacific (including Japan) and increased rainfall along the east.