Typhoon Dujuan disrupts Japan: 275 flights canceled and 1.6 million evacuations recommended

Typhoon Dujuan led to the cancellation of 275 flights in Japan and evacuation orders for more than 1.6 million residents on Monday, as meteorologists warned of potentially record rainfall as it approached Tokyo.

As of Monday, the typhoon was about 130 kilometers south of Katsuura, near Tokyo, with winds reaching 144 kilometers per hour and more than 9,000 homes were without power in Chiba, Saitama and Shizuoka prefectures, as well as other areas near Tokyo. Landslide warnings were also issued for Tokyo and Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures.

“In these areas (placed on alert), the rains are likely to continue as the typhoon moves northward,” Takuya Hosomi of the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters. More than 1.6 million residents of Tokyo and neighboring areas have been called to evacuate, according to the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency. These instructions are not mandatory in Japan. One person was slightly injured and nine houses were damaged by the typhoon.

Several areas flooded

Images posted on social media showed flooded roads outside Kamakura Station, a popular tourist destination. “Several areas of the city are flooded. It is therefore dangerous to travel by car,” warned Kamakura Mayor Takashi Matsuo on X. Japan Airlines canceled 120 domestic flights and 15 international flights, and All Nippon Airways canceled 140 domestic flights. Railway companies have suspended traffic on certain lines in Tokyo and neighboring regions.

The Japan Meteorological Agency had warned on Sunday that rains and winds would intensify even before the typhoon arrived. “Cumulative precipitation by Tuesday could exceed the average for the entire month of September and reach a record level,” she warned. The typhoon led to the cancellation of the last day of the Tokyo Game Show, one of the largest video game fairs in the world, organized in Chiba, near the capital. A large outdoor music festival and baseball game planned for Chiba were also canceled.