Record Rainfall in Chiba Triggers Floods, One Dead Near Tokyo

Eastern Japan was hit by unprecedented rainfall on Thursday, leading to severe flooding and disruption across the Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. The extreme weather has resulted in at least one fatality and has paralyzed local transport networks.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level heavy rain warning for 14 municipalities in the region, urging residents to be on high alert for floods and landslides. Forecasters predicted rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters (4 inches) per hour in Chiba City and surrounding areas.

Officials from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed that one person was found dead in Ichikawa city. In a separate incident, two individuals trapped inside a flooded vehicle were rescued in nearby Kashiwa city, though their condition remains unknown.

Television footage from public broadcaster NHK showed commuters wading through knee-deep water outside Ichikawa train station, while numerous vehicles were seen stranded on waterlogged roads. Several train services in the affected area were suspended as a safety precaution.

In response to the escalating danger, local authorities advised nearly 220,000 residents to evacuate to safer locations. The utility company TEPCO Power Grid reported that the torrential downpour caused power outages affecting approximately 68,000 homes.

Takuya Hosomi, a forecast official at the meteorological agency, described the rainfall levels as unprecedented during an emergency televised press conference. This latest weather event follows a tropical storm that battered northeastern Japan just a day earlier, which had already caused injuries, downed trees, and triggered widespread blackouts.