Typhoon Dujuan leaves deaths and travel disruption in Japan

Typhoon Dujuan battered Tokyo and nearby prefectures with torrential rain and destructive winds, killing at least two people, triggering mass evacuation advisories and disrupting flights, trains and major public events as it moved along Japan’s Pacific coast.

The BBC, citing local reports and public broadcaster NHK, reported that four people died after landslides in Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, with six others missing. Al Jazeera, citing Kyodo News and local authorities, reported that two people had been confirmed dead.

At the height of the storm on Monday, Japanese authorities warned of an “imminent threat to life” and urged 1.9 million people to move to shelters, the BBC reported. Al Jazeera reported evacuation advisories for more than 1.6 million people. Most evacuation orders had been lifted by Tuesday as the storm pulled away from Japan’s eastern coast.

Dujuan cut power to thousands of households, with the BBC reporting outages affecting 50,000 people. The storm caused widespread flooding and landslides near Tokyo and forced the suspension of hundreds of flights. Japan Airlines cancelled 135 flights and All Nippon Airways scrapped 140 on Monday, leaving passengers stranded at airports. Some rail services were also suspended, including bullet train services connecting Tokyo and Osaka, Japan Railways said.

The storm carried powerful winds as it passed near the capital region. The BBC reported sustained winds of 130km/h and gusts of 194km/h. Al Jazeera said the typhoon packed winds of about 144km/h as it moved 130km south of Katsuura, near Tokyo, on Monday.

By early Tuesday, the storm had shifted away from the coast and was moving northeast across the Pacific towards the Aleutian Islands with slightly diminished winds, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. But officials warned that rain could continue in areas under alerts. “There’s a risk the rain will continue as the typhoon moves north,” the agency’s Takuya Hosomi said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency had warned Sunday that rain and winds were expected to intensify even before the typhoon arrived. “The total rainfall through Tuesday could exceed the average monthly rainfall for September, resulting in record-breaking heavy rain,” the agency said.

Flooding was reported in multiple areas around Tokyo. Social media posts showed flooded roads in front of Kamakura station, a popular sightseeing spot. “There is flooding in various parts of the city, so travelling by car is dangerous,” Kamakura Mayor Takashi Matsuo wrote on X. Floodwaters also inundated parts of Ichikawa, east of Tokyo.

In Kanagawa prefecture, the Yokosuka City Fire Department told the BBC that a woman in her 60s was believed to have been buried alive after a landslide swept through the house where she lived. Rescue crews found her inside the home, and she was pronounced dead, NHK reported. In Chiba prefecture, the Sodegaura City Fire Department told the BBC that a man in his 50s was rescued after becoming trapped while clearing debris at a landslide site. The department said he fell into a bamboo thicket along with heavy machinery; local reports said he was taken to hospital, where his death was confirmed.

Dujuan also disrupted holiday events. Monday concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival were cancelled, and the Tokyo Game Show cancelled its Monday programme and closed early on its final day. A baseball match scheduled in Chiba was also cancelled.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offered condolences on X to those who died and said she had instructed senior officials to respond “with utmost preparedness” before continuing a scheduled trip to the United States, where she was due to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York and meet US President Donald Trump.

Dujuan is Japan’s 25th typhoon of the year.