Typhoon Dujuan Nears Tokyo as Kanto Braces for Floods and Landslides
Typhoon Dujuan closed in on Japan's Pacific coast, prompting flood and landslide warnings for the Kanto region and postponing an Asian Games event.
A powerful typhoon bore down on Japan's Pacific coastline on Monday, with the national weather agency warning of torrential rain, violent winds and a sharply elevated risk of landslides across the Kanto region and other parts of eastern Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said conditions could deteriorate quickly as Typhoon Dujuan was expected to pass near the Tokyo metropolitan area later in the day. The Kanto region includes the capital and several surrounding prefectures.
Parts of the Izu Islands, Chiba Prefecture and other Pacific coastal areas have already been soaked, with some locations recording more than 300 mm of rain since Saturday. The agency said downpours could intensify from Monday afternoon as the storm drew closer.
Authorities also cautioned that linear rain bands could form over Kanto and central Japan, raising the danger of flash floods and other rain-related disasters. Such bands, a growing concern in Japan in recent years, can release extreme amounts of rain over a narrow area for several hours.
The approaching storm disrupted the Asian Games in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture, where organisers postponed the equestrian eventing competition to Tuesday.
Typhoon Dujuan arrived during a year of extreme weather worldwide, with unusually heavy rainfall, flooding and tropical cyclones affecting regions from East Asia to North America and Europe.