Typhoon Brings Heavy Rain To Tokyo After Landfall In Western Japan

TOKYO, June 3 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Typhoon Jangmi brought heavy rain to the Tokyo metropolitan area on Wednesday, swelling rivers to dangerous levels and disrupting flights and trains, after making landfall earlier in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, Kyodo News reported.

The season's sixth typhoon had earlier raised flooding concerns in the prefecture, where it made landfall around 4.30 am.

At one point, the weather agency issued its highest level 5 flood danger warning for the Koza River, saying it had begun overflowing its banks, before local authorities lifted an emergency safety measure for downstream areas at 8.50 am.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said in the morning the government had received reports of flooded roads, toppled trees and landslides from Kyushu to the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, as the typhoon brought heavy rain over a wide area.

As of 6 am, 15 people had suffered minor injuries in Okinawa Prefecture, and six homes had been damaged there, he said.

Heavy rain continued in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the morning, with authorities issuing flood danger warnings for several rivers in the capital. The warnings mean people in hazardous areas should be ready to evacuate and may need to leave even before local authorities issue evacuation instructions.

The Japan Meteorological Agency and local authorities also issued landslide danger warnings for parts of Tokyo, including Shinagawa, while heavy rain warnings were in place for Tokyo as well as neighbouring Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, among other areas.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled all morning domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport, as well as some international flights. Some JR limited express train services linking the Tokyo area with other regions were also suspended.

The weather agency said a linear rainband, known to bring torrential downpours, had formed earlier in southern Wakayama Prefecture.

The agency expects the typhoon to move eastward on the country's Pacific side and has warned the public about heavy rains and the risk of rain-related disasters.

It is forecasting up to 200 millimetres of rainfall in the Tokai and Kanto-Koshin regions, as well as up to 120 mm in the Tohoku region over a 24-hour period through 6 am Thursday.

If any further linear rainbands develop, the areas where they occur are likely to see even higher rainfall totals, it added.

As the typhoon brushed past the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku earlier, the agency issued level 4 flood danger warnings for rivers in Miyazaki and Tokushima prefectures, urging all residents in dangerous areas to evacuate.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO