Heavy rain, strong winds batter Japan as typhoon nears eastern coast

Japan’s weather agency warned of heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides as Typhoon Dujuan approached the eastern Pacific coast on Monday. The storm was expected to pass near Chiba, disrupting highways and potentially causing bullet train delays and cancellations

Tokyo: Japan’s weather agency warned of heavy rain, strong winds, flooding and landslides as a large and powerful typhoon moves toward the country’s eastern Pacific coast on Monday.

As of 10 am local time, Typhoon Dujuan, located about 100 km west-southwest of Hachijo Island in the Izu Island chain near Tokyo, was moving north at a speed of 25 km per hour (kph). It had a central atmospheric pressure of 960 hectopascals, packing maximum gusts of 198 kph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

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The year’s 25th typhoon is expected to pass near the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, from the evening to late on Monday.

On Monday morning, heavy downpours have already battered the Kanto-Koshin region in eastern Japan as well as the Tokai region in central Japan, reports Xinhua news agency. There have been reports of road inundation in multiple cities in Chiba, and the JMA has also issued a level 4 landslide alert for parts of the prefecture.

The weather agency forecast up to 350 mm of rain in the Tokai region, 300 mm in the Kanto region and the Izu Island chain, and 200 mm in the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan in the 24 hours through 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

The typhoon’s approach coincides with a five-day holiday period in Japan. Residents have been urged to check the latest weather information and take precautions, including considering rescheduling their plans during extreme weather.

The typhoon has disrupted transportation, forcing the closure of parts of highways, and may also cause delays and cancellations of bullet train services connecting Tokyo and western Japan on Monday afternoon.

Earlier in August, Typhoon Chan-hom made landfall in the eastern Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki. Seven people sustained minor injuries — two in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, as well as four in Ibaraki Prefecture and one in Tochigi Prefecture, both near Tokyo, Jiji Press reported Wednesday, citing the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.