Six killed, thousands stranded at airport as rainfall triggers floods in Japan
At least six people have died and five others injured after record rainfall triggered flooding and landslides in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
The Japan Meteorological Agency described the rainfall as being at an “unprecedented level”.
More than 360 millimetres of rain fell in parts of Chiba within 24 hours, while some areas recorded more than 100 millimetres of rainfall per hour from Thursday afternoon.
This is reportedly the highest volume of precipitation ever recorded in the country.
The agency said the rainfall was caused by warm, humid air flowing into eastern Japan and combining with cold air above, creating highly unstable atmospheric conditions.
Toshihito Kumagai, Chiba governor, said he had never experienced a disaster on this scale.
“This case was an extremely unusual situation, even by Japan’s historical weather standards,” Kumagai told reporters on Friday.
“I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this.”
According to Japanese media reports, a woman died after her car was submerged on a flooded road, while two other people collapsed in the streets and later died.
More than 100,000 households were advised to evacuate on Thursday as flooding, landslides and power outages disrupted communities across the prefecture.
Authorities issued a level five emergency warning, the highest alert, on Thursday before downgrading it to level four on Friday morning.
However, residents were warned to remain alert to flooding and landslides.
THOUSANDS STRANDED AT NARITA AIRPORT
The heavy rainfall disrupted road and rail services and left about 7,000 travellers stranded overnight at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo.
Passengers wait to board a bus at the Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba prefecture on August 14, 2026, after many of the train lines to the airport were closed. At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left thousands stranded at Narita airport overnight and snarled up roads and rail services, authorities said.
An airport spokesperson said flights were scheduled to operate normally on Friday, although Japan Airlines warned that some flights could be delayed.
Several rail services remained suspended on Friday morning, while some trains linking Narita with Tokyo had resumed operations.
Major highways in Chiba were also closed, forcing motorists onto alternative routes and causing heavy traffic.
According to Tokyo Electric Power, more than 22,000 households remained without electricity as of 11am on Friday.
In Chiba city, hundreds of residents spent the night at temporary evacuation centres, while about 1,800 people reportedly sheltered at the Chiba Prefectural Government building.
The latest rainfall came after a series of storms swept across Japan and neighbouring countries this week, raising concerns about an unusually active typhoon season.
Japan, the Philippines and China have been affected by back-to-back storms, including Dolphin, Chan-Hom and Peilou.
Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain to Japan’s Okinawa island, cutting power to tens of thousands of buildings, toppling trees and disrupting flights.
In China, authorities evacuated more than one million people after Dolphin, described as the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, caused landslides in the east.
Meanwhile, authorities in the northern Philippines have again closed schools and government offices over the threat of flooding.
