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Nearly two million people have been urged to evacuate in Japan as Typhoon Dujuan moves along the country’s Pacific coast, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain, according to the BBC.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency had warned of an “imminent threat to life” in several areas. Most level-three heavy rain and level-four landslide warnings have since been downgraded or lifted, although the highest-level warnings remain in Shinagawa Ward, Toshima Village and Niijima Village.
The danger-to-life warning remains in force in Oshima Town, where authorities have urged residents to monitor weather updates and follow evacuation instructions.
Flights and rail services disrupted
Typhoon Dujuan has sustained winds of 130km/h and gusts reaching 194km/h. Strong winds have cut electricity supplies to more than 50,000 people, while hundreds of flights have been cancelled and rail services suspended.
The storm, Japan’s 25th typhoon of the year, arrived during a five-day holiday period and led to the cancellation of several events. Monday’s concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival were called off, while the Tokyo Game Show cancelled its Monday programme.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly delayed a planned trip to the United States to monitor the typhoon’s impact. She had been scheduled to travel to New York on Tuesday to meet US President Donald Trump and address the UN General Assembly.
Rescue operations under way
Emergency services are responding to incidents linked to landslides and strong winds. The Yokosuka City Fire Department told the BBC that a woman in her 60s may have been swept away and is believed to have been buried alive after a landslide affected a house.
In Chiba prefecture, a man in his 50s was rescued after becoming trapped while clearing debris at a landslide site. Sodegaura City Fire Department said he fell into a bamboo thicket along with heavy machinery and was taken to hospital.
Firefighters in Kanagawa prefecture also received a report from a man who said his house had been crushed by a landslide.
Storm intensity linked to warmer oceans
Typhoon Dujuan is the latest in a series of Pacific storms that have been made more intense by the “super El Niño”, which has warmed ocean waters and supported storm formation.
Climate research indicates that warmer oceans can give typhoons more energy, increasing wind speeds. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, potentially producing heavier rainfall. While climate change is not believed to be increasing the total number of such storms globally, typhoons that do form are expected to become more intense on average.
El Niño does not have a clear effect on the overall number of typhoons, but it can influence where they develop, their strength and the countries they affect. The storm is continuing north along Japan’s Pacific coast, and the full extent of the damage may not be known until Tuesday.
