Japan Braces for Severe Weather as Tropical Storm Shanshan Causes Widespread Flooding and Landslides

Japan Faces Severe Weather as Tropical Storm Shanshan Approaches

The authorities in Japan are on high alert for potential landslides and flooding as Tropical Storm Shanshan progresses slowly inland, having unleashed record rainfall across various regions over the past three days. Meteorologists predict that heavy rain will continue for several more days due to this storm, which made landfall on Thursday as the most powerful typhoon to strike Japan this year.

Shanshan brought maximum sustained winds of 46 miles per hour as of Friday, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center, which had downgraded the storm from a typhoon the previous day. The weakened storm has shifted eastward early Friday, further elevating the risks of landslides and flooding in additional areas of the country.

On Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued flood and landslide warnings in over two dozen prefectures, including Tokyo and regions as far north as Iwate, in the northeast. Many areas are expected to receive an additional 6 inches of rain, forecasters warned. The slow-moving nature of Shanshan, currently advancing at approximately 2 miles per hour, has resulted in prolonged heavy rainfall in affected areas.

As the storm moves northeast towards Osaka, roughly in Japan’s central region, it is anticipated to lose strength and eventually dissipate into a tropical depression over the weekend. Shanshan has already delivered nearly three feet of rain to certain parts of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands. Notably, the city of Odawara, located southwest of Tokyo, recorded about a foot of rain on Thursday, nearly double the average rainfall for the entire month of August, according to meteorological reports.

Earlier in the week, a landslide buried a home southwest of Tokyo, while streets and agricultural land across many regions experienced flooding. The storm’s strong winds resulted in fallen trees in Tokyo and parts of Kyushu, with some buildings sustaining significant damage.

The impact of the storm has been tragic, with at least four confirmed fatalities and over 100 injuries reported by Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, as of Friday. Additionally, at least two individuals remain missing. On Thursday, more than four million people were issued evacuation orders, and nearly 100,000 households in Kyushu were left without power.

In response to the severe weather, many stores and public schools have closed, and postal services have been disrupted across multiple prefectures. Airlines, including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, canceled numerous flights scheduled for Friday at various airports along the storm’s trajectory. Furthermore, service on Shinkansen bullet-train routes was suspended for a second consecutive day in most of Kyushu, affecting many train lines connecting major cities in western Japan, including Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.