Typhoon Dujuan killed at least 12 people and left three missing after dumping record-breaking rainfall on eastern Japan, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
Seven deaths were recorded in Chiba, four in Kanagawa and one in Miyazaki, with search and rescue operations continuing. Many victims died when landslides buried their homes.
Oshima, an island about 75 miles south of Tokyo, recorded 832 millimeters (32.8 inches) of rain over 48 hours — an all-time record for the station and more than double its average rainfall for all of September. Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward set a 24-hour record of 282.5 millimeters.
The storm, the season’s 25th typhoon, struck around Sept. 21 with winds reaching 144 km/h, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes in Chiba and forcing the early closure of one of the world’s biggest video game trade fairs in Tokyo during the “Silver Week” holidays. Evacuation advisories were issued to more than 1.9 million residents across six prefectures.
Chiba authorities warned that saturated ground could trigger further landslides even with light rain. Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying heavy-rainfall risks as a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture.