At least four people have died, and five are wounded, in eastern Japan as record rainfall pummels Chiba prefecture near Tokyo.
The deluge, described by authorities as "unprecedented", cut power to more than 20,000 households while 7,000 travellers were stranded overnight at Tokyo's Narita airport.
Local officials issued a level five emergency warning, the highest alert, on Thursday. By Friday morning it was downgraded to level four, but the warning of landslide and flooding risks remains active.
Japan Meteorological Agency attributes the rainfall to warm, humid air flowing into the east of the country, meeting cold air aloft and creating extremely unstable conditions.
The rains are expected to continue through late Friday. Governor Toshihito Kumagai, who has handled numerous disasters, said he had never experienced a case as unusual as this one.
Chiba has recorded more than 100 mm of rain per hour since Thursday afternoon – about three times the average for August and the highest precipitation ever logged in the country.
Among those killed was a woman who died inside a submerged car on a flooded road; two others collapsed along the streets and later died.
Several rail services remain suspended and most major highways are closed. Over 100,000 households were asked to evacuate after landslides and power outages were triggered.
All flights are scheduled to operate normally on Friday, though Japan Airlines may delay some flights without cancelling any. Passengers were stranded at metro stations, and roughly 1,800 people slept overnight at the Chiba Prefectural Government building.
The event is part of a broader typhoon‑heavy season affecting Japan, the Philippines and China, with storms such as Dolphin, Chan‑Hom and Peilou already causing widespread damage. Evacuations in China have already exceeded one million people.
