Record rainfall in Japan kills 8, strands thousands at Narita airport

Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.

More than 360 millimetres of rain fell in parts of Chiba within 24 hours, according to authorities. The rainfall was around three times the August average and marked the highest volume of precipitation ever recorded in the country.

The eight people who died included one person trapped in a submerged vehicle, public broadcaster NHK said, citing Chiba authorities and police.

The vast majority of the power outages were in Chiba Prefecture, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

“This case was an extremely unusual situation, even by Japan’s historical weather standards,” Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters on Friday morning. “I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this. We will prioritise saving lives and keep carrying out rescue and recovery efforts,” he added.

Thousands stranded at Narita Airport

The heavy rain on Thursday prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue a Level 5 Emergency Warning, the highest level on its scale. The warning was downgraded to Level 4 on Friday morning, but authorities continued to urge residents to remain alert for landslides, flooding and swollen rivers.

Japan’s Self-Defence Forces were deployed on Friday to help transport people stranded at railway stations.

Around 7,000 people spent the night at Narita Airport, one of Tokyo’s two main international airports, after heavy rain disrupted transport links on Thursday. An airport spokesperson said all flights were scheduled to operate normally on Friday. Japan Airlines said some flights could be delayed, but no cancellations were expected at the time.

Several railway services remained suspended on Friday morning, while some major highways were also closed.

Storms across East Asia

The flooding follows a week of severe weather across East and Southeast Asia, with Japan, China and the Philippines affected by a series of storms, including Dolphin, Chan-Hom and Peilou.

Earlier this week, Chinese authorities evacuated more than one million people as Typhoon Dolphin, described as the strongest typhoon to hit China so far this year, made landfall in the country’s east.

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