Edited by: Karl Sexton
A powerful typhoon was nearing Japan’s eastern coast on Monday, triggering flood and landslide warnings, evacuation advisories and prompting hundreds of flights to be canceled.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued level 5 emergency warning for the Izu islands, with the advisory cautioning a “life-threatening situation” and for residents to “ensure safety immediately.”
A level 5 warning is the highest level of alert on the agency’s scale.
Dujuan is forecast to pass close to the Tokyo metropolitan area later in the day and than one million people have been reported to be under evacuation advisories.
What do we know about Typhoon Dujuan?
Typhoon Dujuan was packing winds at speeds of 144 kilometers (89 miles) per hour as it lingered some 110 kilometres from Hachijojima, one of Tokyo’s most remote islands.
Parts of the Izu Islands and the Chiba prefecture near Tokyo already saw heavy rainfall over the weekend.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has cautioned that weather conditions could worsen rapidly.
“The total rainfall through Tuesday could exceed the average monthly rainfall for September, resulting in record-breaking heavy rain,” the JMA said.
Authorities have also warned of a possibility of linear rain bands forming over central Japan and the Kanto region — which includes Tokyo and surrounding prefectures — that could raise the risk of rain-related disasters like flash floods and landslides.
Linear bands cause heavy torrential rainfall over a narrow area for several hours.
How have Japan’s regions been affected by the incoming storm?
Over 4,000 households in Chiba were without power.
In the central prefecture of Aichi, which is currently hosting the Asian Games, an equestrian eventing competition was postponed until Tuesday.
The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world’s biggest video game trade fairs, was shut down ahead of its final day on Monday.
Dujuan could also scupper travel plans during Japan’s “Silver Week” holiday, which has just begun and which normally sees a surge in domestic travel.
On Monday, Japan Airlines canceled 120 domestic and 15 international flights, while All Nippon Airways canceled 140 domestic flights.
Some railway services were suspended on some lines in Tokyo and its neighboring areas.
Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.
