A devastating typhoon has claimed at least four lives and left tens of thousands of homes dark across Japan, as the storm unleashed torrential rain, landslides and travel chaos in one of the country’s most densely populated regions. Typhoon Dujuan, which packed sustained winds of 144 kilometres per hour, swept through the greater Tokyo area before drifting away from the mainland on Tuesday morning, forcing authorities to scale back severe weather warnings but not before the damage had been done.
A Region Overwhelmed
The storm carved a destructive path through several prefectures near the Japanese capital, with the city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa reporting multiple landslides caused by hours of unrelenting downpour. A woman in her sixties was killed after mud surged into her home, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Emergency services rushed to the scene and said they were still attempting to locate a couple in their seventies believed to be trapped in a collapsed property.
Further east in Chiba, the toll was even more severe. Local authorities confirmed that three people had been killed in a string of landslides across the prefecture, while two others remained missing after homes crumbled under the force of the rain. By Tuesday morning, some 45,000 households in Chiba were still without electricity, highlighting the scale of the disruption to daily life in a region heavily dependent on stable infrastructure.
The evacuations, though not compulsory, were extensive. More than 1.6 million residents in and around Tokyo were told to leave their homes on Monday, a staggering figure that underscored both the seriousness of the threat and the preparedness of Japan’s disaster management apparatus.
Record Rainfall Tests Infrastructure
Although Dujuan weakened as it tracked north-east, it delivered extraordinary amounts of water to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The island of Oshima, situated roughly 120 kilometres south of central Tokyo, was drenched with 832 millimetres of rain over a 48-hour period, more than double the average rainfall for the entire month of September. In Tokyo’s Edogawa ward, 282.5 millimetres fell within a single day, setting a new 24-hour record for the area.
Japan has long been no stranger to powerful typhoons, particularly in the late summer and early autumn months. However, scientists have increasingly warned that human-driven climate change is amplifying the danger posed by such storms. A warmer atmosphere retains more moisture, which means that when rainfall does come, it can arrive in far greater volumes than historical patterns would suggest. Dujuan serves as yet another stark reminder that the country’s drainage systems and coastal defences, impressive as they are, face mounting pressure from intensifying weather patterns.
The storm also contributed to a year of unusually severe weather across the globe, with extreme rainfall, flooding and tropical cyclones affecting regions from east Asia to North America and Europe in quick succession.
Travel Grinds to a Halt
The practical impact of Dujuan on Japan’s transport network was immediate and far-reaching. Japan Airlines was forced to cancel 135 domestic flights, while All Nippon Airways scrapped a further 140, leaving travellers stranded and disrupting connections across the country’s vast rail and air infrastructure.
Beyond everyday commuting, the storm forced the early closure of one of the world’s largest video game trade fairs in Tokyo, a significant blow to an industry event that draws international attention. Events linked to the Asian Games were also disrupted, a reminder that severe weather increasingly intersects with the sporting calendar.
The evacuations, though advisory rather than mandatory, reflected a cautious approach by authorities keen to avoid a repeat of previous disasters. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency coordinated the massive logistical effort, working alongside local councils and emergency volunteers to move residents to safer ground before conditions deteriorated further.
A Changing Threat Landscape
Japan’s experience with typhoons is deeply embedded in its cultural and seasonal rhythm. The country has invested heavily in early warning systems, underground flood channels and seawalls over decades. Yet the increasing ferocity of individual storms poses challenges that existing infrastructure may struggle to meet.
Researchers have pointed to the broader pattern at play. As global temperatures continue to rise, the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones in the western Pacific remain a subject of intense scientific scrutiny. What is beyond dispute is that each major event places additional strain on communities, economies and emergency services.
Why it Matters
The casualties and disruption caused by Typhoon Dujuan are a sobering illustration of how extreme weather is reshaping the risks faced by one of the world’s most advanced nations. While Japan’s disaster response infrastructure remains among the finest globally, the growing intensity of individual storms — driven by climate change — is testing the limits of preparedness. As communities across the globe contend with a rising tide of extreme weather events, the lessons from Chiba, Yokosuka and the wider Tokyo region will resonate far beyond Japan’s shores, reminding governments everywhere that investment in resilience must keep pace with a rapidly changing climate.