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At least six people have died and five others were injured after unprecedented rainfall and landslides hit Chiba Prefecture near Japan’s capital Tokyo.
More than 20,000 households were left without electricity, while around 7,000 passengers were stranded at Narita International Airport as record-breaking rain disrupted transport and daily life.
More than 100 millimetres of rain per hour was recorded in parts of Chiba from Thursday afternoon, nearly three times the average rainfall for August. Japanese weather officials attributed the extreme conditions to severe atmospheric instability caused by the interaction of warm, moist air and colder air over the region.
Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the situation as an exceptionally severe event in Japan’s weather history, saying he had never experienced anything similar despite having dealt with numerous disasters in the past.
Authorities issued the highest Level 5 emergency warning on Thursday amid fears of flooding and landslides.
The alert was lowered to Level 4 on Friday morning, but residents were still warned about overflowing rivers and the risk of further landslides.
Local media, including NHK, Kyodo News and Asahi Shimbun, reported six confirmed deaths. Among the victims was a woman who died after her car became submerged on a flooded road, while two others were killed in landslides.
Authorities ordered more than 100,000 households in affected areas to evacuate to safer locations, with rescue and relief operations being given top priority.
At least 7,000 passengers were stranded at Narita Airport on Thursday night.
Flights were expected to resume normally on Friday, although Japan Airlines warned of possible delays.
Several train services remained suspended on Friday morning, while major highways were temporarily closed. Many passengers were also stranded at metro stations.
Around 1,800 people reportedly spent the night at the Chiba Prefectural Government building after being unable to return home.
