Almost two million people have been ordered to evacuate in Japan as Typhoon Dujuan batters several prefectures, leaving two people dead and four others missing.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that two people had died and four were missing in the typhoon, with four people specifically reported missing in Kanagawa Prefecture, reports BBC.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had warned of an “imminent threat to life”, although several weather warnings have since been downgraded.
The storm, Japan’s 25th typhoon of the year, brought sustained winds of 130 km/h (80.8 mph), with gusts reaching 194 km/h.
Strong winds cut power to more than 50,000 people, while hundreds of flights were cancelled and rail services suspended. Authorities urged people to closely monitor weather information.
The typhoon has caused fatalities and extensive damage in several affected areas.
In Yokosuka City, the city’s Fire Department told the BBC that a woman in her 60s was believed to have been swept away and buried alive after a landslide struck her home. Rescue crews later found her inside the house, where she was pronounced dead, NHK reported.
In Chiba Prefecture, the Sodegaura City Fire Department told the BBC that a man in his 50s was rescued after becoming trapped while clearing debris at a landslide site. He fell into a bamboo thicket along with heavy machinery and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police are investigating the incident.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, firefighters received an emergency call from a man who said his house had been crushed by a landslide.
The typhoon struck during a five-day national holiday, disrupting several major public events.
Monday’s concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival were cancelled, while the Tokyo Game Show, a major video game convention, also cancelled its Monday programme.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed condolences to those who lost their lives in the typhoon in a post on X.
“With a sense of urgency, I instructed Chief Cabinet Secretary Takehara and Minister Hosono to respond with utmost preparedness,” she wrote.
Takaichi confirmed that she would continue with her scheduled visit to the United States. She has boarded a flight to the US, where she is due to address the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and meet US President Donald Trump.
Typhoon Dujuan is the latest in a series of Pacific storms made more intense by the “super El Niño”, which has warmed ocean waters and fuelled storm formation.
Research suggests Japan has become more exposed to destructive storms. However, climate change is not thought to be increasing the overall number of such storms globally and could make them less common in some regions.
As global temperatures rise, typhoons that do form are likely to become more intense on average. Warmer ocean waters allow storms to absorb more energy, resulting in higher wind speeds.
