Heavy rain causes flooding near Tokyo that kills 4 and strands travellers

Overnight, torrential rains struck areas east of Tokyo, causing severe flooding and resulting in at least four deaths and one missing person. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had issued an intense heavy-rain warning for several municipalities in Chiba Prefecture, which has now been downgraded. Despite the warning downgrade, JMA predicted further rain later in the day.

Photos and video footage revealed significant damage, with homes, cars, and sections of railway tracks submerged in muddy water. The Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched buses to transport approximately 4,000 stranded individuals to Soga train station, a local route that also connects to Tokyo Disney. The theme park reported no damage.

Thousands of others found themselves stranded overnight at Narita Airport, serving the Tokyo region, as trains were halted. Services at the airport resumed partially on Friday morning, with delays, while flights in and out of Narita Airport operated normally, enabling many passengers to return home following Japan’s Bon Buddhist holiday week.

An additional 80 homes were inundated in Chiba Prefecture and around 230,000 residents were advised to seek shelter. Power outages affected around 23,000 homes, a decrease from the 68,000 previously reported by the TEPCO Power Grid.

Record-breaking rainfall of 11.5 centimeters (4.5 inches) fell in just one hour in Chiba City, while Sakura city recorded 9.7 centimeters (3.8 inches) of rain in the same timeframe. The unprecedented levels of rainfall prompted the JMA forecast official Takuya Hosomi to deliver an urgent televised news conference, warning of the severity of the situation.