Heavy Rain Hits Pacific Coast Areas of Japan
11:00 JST, June 3, 2023
Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Heavy rain lashed areas mainly along the Pacific coast from western to eastern Japan on Friday, as warm and humid air from Typhoon Mawar flowed into the seasonal rain front.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued information about unusually heavy rain, saying that linear rain bands had formed in the prefectures of Kochi, Wakayama, Nara, Mie, Aichi and Shizuoka. It warned of landslides and flooding.
In Wakayama, the highest emergency alert in the country’s five-tier warning system, urging residents to secure safety immediately, was issued for the city of Kainan, the town of Hirokawa and other parts of the prefecture.
The local police received reports that flooding of Makuni River in Wakayama swept away a man in his 70s in the city of Kinokawa and a woman in the town of Kimino.
The highest alert was also issued for the city of Iwata in Shizuoka Prefecture and the city of Toyohashi in Aichi Prefecture.
Landslide alerts were issued in parts of many prefectures from Ibaraki to Tokushima by Friday night.
The Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line was suspended entirely between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations, but the section between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka stations were resumed at night.
There were delays and suspensions on the Sanyo Shinkansen line section between Shin-Osaka and Hakata stations.
All Nippon Airways canceled 77 domestic flights, mainly to and from Naha Airport in Okinawa Prefecture. Japan Airlines called off 126 flights. The cancellations affected a total of about 16,250 people. All Nippon Airways will cancel seven flights on Saturday.
In the greater Tokyo area, East Japan Railway Co. suspended all operations on the Keiyo Line temporarily due to strong winds. There were delays on many other train lines.
Due to the heavy rain, one person was seriously injured and seven people had suffered light injuries as of 2 p.m. (5 a.m. GMT), according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.
Toyota Motor Corp. was forced to suspend two plants in Aichi Prefecture. Sapporo Breweries Ltd.’s plant in Shizuoka Prefecture was also suspended.
Rainfall reached 93 millimeters in the Kochi city of Tosashimizu in the hour to 8:50 a.m. and 83.5 millimeters in the Wakayama town of Yuasa in the hour to 12:20 p.m.
In the 24-hour period until 8 p.m. Friday, rainfall reached 415 millimeters in the city of Toba in Mie and 414.5 millimeters in the Shizuoka city of Fujieda.
For the 24-hour period until 6 p.m. Saturday, rainfall of up to 250 millimeters is forecast in the Tokai region, up to 200 millimeters in the Kanto-Koshin region, 150 millimeters in the Shikoku region and the Izu Islands, and 100 millimeters in the Kinki region.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Malaysia Growing in Popularity as Destination for Studying Abroad; British-style Education Available at Low Cost
-
‘Women Over 30 Would Have Uteruses Removed’; Remarks of CPJ Leader, Novelist Naoki Hyakuta Get Wide Attention
-
Ministry Eyes Improving Night-School Japanese Lessons; Aim Is To Help Foreigners Complete Junior High School
-
Companies Expanding Use of Recycled Plastic; Technological Developments Improve Production Process, Allow Incorporation in Cars, Electronics
-
Miho Nakayama, Japanese Actress and Singer, Found Dead at Her Tokyo Residence; She was 54 (UPDATE 1)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Malaysia Growing in Popularity as Destination for Studying Abroad; British-style Education Available at Low Cost
- APEC Leaders Vow to Maintain Free Trade System
- ‘Women Over 30 Would Have Uteruses Removed’; Remarks of CPJ Leader, Novelist Naoki Hyakuta Get Wide Attention
- Ministry Eyes Improving Night-School Japanese Lessons; Aim Is To Help Foreigners Complete Junior High School
- China to Test Mine for Rare Metals Off Japan Island; Japan Lagging in Technologies Needed for Extraction