TOKYO - At least eight people died as heavy rain pounded eastern Japan on Thursday and early Friday, with the weather agency issuing the highest downpour warning of Level 5 in more than one-third of the municipalities in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo.
The cities of Chiba and Ichikawa, among other municipalities, began urging citizens to immediately take safety measures on Thursday evening, while road flooding occurred across the prefecture, immobilizing cars and causing traffic jams.
The Japan Meteorological Agency also issued a Level 5 landslide warning for several municipalities in the prefecture, including Chiba and neighboring Ichihara. All of the warnings were downgraded on Friday morning.
It was the first time Level 5 warnings for rain and landslides were issued since the agency introduced new disaster weather information services in May.
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people at one point, while approximately 7,000 people spent the night at Narita airport near Tokyo. About 1,700 people gathered at the prefectural government building to seek shelter, which was made available for stranded commuters.
The Chiba prefectural government requested assistance from the Self-Defense Forces to transport those unable to return home.
Over 200 evacuation centers were set up in Chiba and Ibaraki as well as Saitama and Gunma prefectures, according to the Cabinet Office.
The torrential rain was brought by warm, humid air flowing into eastern Japan that combined with cold air above to make atmospheric conditions extremely unstable, the agency said. Heavy rain could continue in Chiba and nearby areas through Saturday.
A man spotted in floodwaters on a submerged road in Ichikawa was later confirmed dead. A 66-year-old woman died after being trapped inside a car on a flooded road in Sakura, according to the prefectural government.
Others confirmed dead included a man found unresponsive on a flooded road in Yachiyo in Chiba Prefecture and a woman in her 70s who was trapped inside a vehicle in Kashiwa, also in the prefecture.
The rain caused extensive transportation disruptions in Chiba as well as in parts of Tokyo, leaving many commuters and holidaymakers stranded.
Train services on lines including the JR Keiyo, Kururi and Uchibo lines, as well as some limited express services, were suspended on Friday, according to JR East.
In Chiba's Chuo Ward, hourly precipitation reached 115 millimeters Thursday night, around the same level as the area's monthly rainfall in August in a normal year. Sakura saw 189.5 mm over the course of three hours, a record high for the area.
Power outages at one point affected around 45,000 homes in Chiba Prefecture, according to a subsidiary of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.
