Heavy rain deals blow to fish and rice farmers in Chiba Prefecture

Heavy rainfall from Typhoon Dujuan, which is the 25th typhoon of the year, has caused significant damage to fish farms and rice warehouses in Chiba Prefecture. Inbanuma Lake, a major body of water in Chiba, experienced breaches in its embankments, leading to the flooding of numerous agricultural facilities. The Tani Fish Farm, which raises ornamental carp and goldfish, lost all of its 100,000 fish, with the entire site submerged up to 1.5 meters. The farm's owner, Kenji Tani, estimated the damage to be approximately ¥1 billion.

The Inbanuma Fisheries Cooperative suffered even greater losses, with around 50,000 eels believed to have died or been washed away, resulting in a monetary loss of hundreds of millions of yen. The disaster left large refrigerators overturned, and a nearby restaurant managed by the cooperative, which had been featured on a television program, is temporarily closed due to the flooding. The restaurant owner expressed regret at not being able to serve their signature eel dish.

A farmer in Narita, who has lived in the area for over 50 years, described this as the first time he had experienced such a severe flood. One of the farmers, aged 80, said, "This is the first time I've experienced such a flood." Rice producers also faced significant challenges, with about 1,000 bags of newly harvested rice soaked in water and unlikely to be shipped. The damage to the rice warehouse amounted to approximately ¥15 million.