At least eight people have died after record-breaking rainfall battered eastern Japan, causing widespread flooding, power outages and leaving thousands of travellers stranded at Tokyo’s Narita Airport.
The heavy rains, described by authorities as “unprecedented,” disrupted daily life across Chiba Prefecture, cutting electricity to more than 20,000 households and damaging infrastructure in affected communities. Local authorities issued the highest level of emergency warning on Thursday as concerns grew over flooding and landslides.
The alert was later downgraded to level four on Friday morning, but officials continued to urge residents to remain cautious as the risks of further flooding and landslides persisted.
The severe weather comes amid a series of storms that have swept through Japan and neighbouring countries this week, with meteorologists warning that the region could experience an unusually active typhoon season.
Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is contributing to the increasing frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events. A warmer atmosphere can hold significantly more moisture, creating conditions that can fuel heavier and more destructive rainfall.
In parts of Chiba Prefecture, nearly 350 millimetres (13.7 inches) of rain fell within just 12 hours — an amount roughly three times the region’s average August rainfall total in half a day.
The severity of the downpour prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest-level Level 5 emergency heavy rain warning for the region on Thursday, marking the first time such an alert had been issued there. The warning was later downgraded to Level 4 on Friday morning, although authorities continued to caution residents over ongoing flood and landslide risks.
Scientists and local disaster management authorities have warned that the combination of mountainous terrain and dense urban and suburban development makes regions such as the Kantō area particularly vulnerable to rapid flooding and sudden landslides during periods of extreme rainfall.
The impact of the downpour was also felt by thousands of travellers, with around 6,000 people stranded overnight at Narita International Airport, one of Tokyo’s two major airports. Several train services connecting the airport were suspended, leaving passengers facing delays until services gradually resumed on Friday afternoon.
Images from Narita showed passengers queueing at the airport’s train station in Chiba Prefecture on August 14, 2026, after multiple rail lines serving the airport were forced to close due to the severe weather conditions.
As the rainfall subsides in some areas, attention has now shifted toward rescue operations, restoring essential services and repairing damage left behind by one of the region’s most severe weather events in recent years.
