Key facts
- At least four people have died and one is missing due to severe flooding in Chiba prefecture, Japan.
- Record rainfall caused widespread flooding of roads, homes, and railway tracks.
- Thousands of travelers were stranded overnight at Soga train station and Narita airport.
- Power outages affected around 23,000 homes.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency has downgraded its severe rain warning for the affected areas.
Record-breaking rainfall in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, has led to severe flooding, resulting in at least four deaths and one person missing. The torrential downpour inundated roads, dozens of homes, and parts of railway tracks, causing widespread damage.
Thousands of travelers were stranded overnight at the Soga train station, a key local route that also serves Tokyo Disney, and at Narita airport. The Ground Self-Defense Force deployed buses to assist approximately 4,000 people at the Soga station. While many flights at Narita were operating normally by Friday morning with delays, train services remained disrupted.
Authorities reported that over 80 homes were flooded in Chiba prefecture, and nearly 230,000 residents were advised to seek shelter. Power outages affected about 23,000 homes on Friday morning, a decrease from earlier figures. The Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its most severe heavy rain warnings for several municipalities in Chiba as the rain subsided, though further rain was forecast.