3rd June 2023 – (Hong Kong) Heavy rain across parts of Japan has caused one fatality and left two people missing, according to authorities. The downpour was caused by the remnants of former Typhoon Mawar, which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. Thousands of people were issued evacuation warnings, and many were left without power.
In central Aichi region’s Toyohashi, where the country’s highest-level evacuation alert was issued, a rescue team found a man in his 60s submerged in a car. Unfortunately, he was later confirmed dead. In western Wakayama, where several rivers burst their banks, officials resumed the search for one man and one woman who are still missing.
In central and western Japan, many evacuation orders were downgraded as rains eased, although new warnings were issued in areas close to Tokyo early in the morning due to flooding risks. The Tokyo Electric Power Company reported that around 4,000 households in regions close to Tokyo were suffering power outages.
Scientists have warned that climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere, as a warmer atmosphere holds more water. In 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in western Japan during the country’s annual rainy season, while strong rain in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the central resort town of Atami, which killed 27 people.