- Lead. Japan’s 25th typhoon of 2026 killed at least four people and left six missing as record rainfall inundated the Kanto region, with floodwaters reaching one metre deep near Sakura Station in Chiba Prefecture.
- Fact. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled a combined 275 flights, and bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka were partially suspended, stranding thousands of travellers.
- Stake. The 2026 Pacific typhoon season has already produced 25 named storms before October, a pace that climate scientists attribute to above-average sea surface temperatures in the western Pacific.
Typhoon Dujuan made landfall along Japan’s Izu Islands and swept into the Kanto region on September 22, unleashing torrential rain that swamped roads, triggered landslides and killed at least four people — all aged between their 50s and 80s — in Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, according to Al Jazeera. Six people remained missing as rescue teams worked through flooded neighbourhoods.
Flooding Across Kanto
Floodwaters rose to nearly one metre in parts of Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, and across roads near JR Sakura Station in Chiba, leaving some residents unable to leave their homes. Popular tourist areas were not spared: social media footage showed deep floodwater blocking streets in front of Kamakura Station, the gateway to one of Japan’s most visited historic districts. In Yokosuka, landslides added to the toll of injuries and property damage across the Kanagawa coast.
Some 45,000 households lost power across Kanagawa, with the largest concentration of outages in Chiba Prefecture. A music festival and a baseball match in the county were cancelled outright.
Travel and Transport Disruptions
Japan Airlines cancelled 135 flights and All Nippon Airways scrapped 140 on Monday, leaving passengers stranded at airports across the region. Rail services took an equally heavy hit: the Tokaido Shinkansen, the bullet line connecting Tokyo and Osaka, was partially suspended during the storm’s passage. The Tokyo Game Show, one of the world’s largest video game trade fairs, was forced to close its final day early as organisers cited safety concerns for the tens of thousands of attendees.
Meteorologist Takuya Hosomi warned that conditions could linger. “There’s a risk the rain will continue as the typhoon moves north,” Hosomi told national broadcasters, even as the storm shifted toward the Aleutian Islands by early Tuesday.
A Record Season
Dujuan is Japan’s 25th typhoon of 2026, a count that puts the season on pace to exceed several recent years before it has even reached October. Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued standing warnings for late-season intensification, noting that warm sea surface temperatures around the Bonin Islands are sustaining storms at Category 3 or higher intensity for longer than historical averages.
Evacuation orders remained in force for parts of Chiba and Kanagawa on Tuesday morning, while authorities urged residents in flood-prone areas to remain alert to secondary landslide risk as saturated soil continued to loosen on hillsides across the Kanto plain.