October 16, 2025
HACHIJO – Two powerful typhoons, Halong and Nakri, or Typhoons No. 22 and 23, struck Hachijojima Island in quick succession last week, causing severe damage including a landslide in the island’s southeastern Sueyoshi district and the collapse of a municipal road. Water and power outages persist, and evacuation orders remain in effect for all of the district’s roughly 230 residents. Locals who returned home temporarily for the first time on Tuesday expressed a heartfelt desire to “return to daily life soon.”
According to the local government, the municipal road running through Sueyoshi district began crumbling after being directly hit by Typhoon Halong, and then suffered a major collapse during Typhoon Nakri. Landslides also occurred, sending large amounts of earth flowing into surrounding apartment buildings and mixed-use complexes.
The evacuation order issued for the district on Friday shows no sign of being lifted, forcing about half the residents to live in evacuation shelters. On Tuesday afternoon, residents were permitted to return home temporarily for the first time. They checked the condition of their homes and retrieved items like clothing and blankets.
“Several cars had been swept away by the mudslide. I never imagined the damage would be this severe,” said Susumu Okiyama, 73, one of the temporary returnees. “The door of my garage was blown off and completely destroyed. I’m filled with anxiety about when I’ll be able to return home.”
Toshimitsu Okiyama, 80, said all the vegetables he grew in his field, such as carrots and potatoes, were blown away by the storm. “When I’m in the evacuation shelter, I can hear the wind roaring. It makes it hard to relax and sleep,” he said, looking exhausted.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government held a disaster rapid response headquarters meeting at its office on Tuesday to confirm the damage from the typhoons and discuss what measures to take going forward. As residents are expected to remain evacuated for a prolonged period, Tokyo is moving forward with secondary evacuation, moving them to well-equipped facilities such as lodgings on the island. As water services have not yet been restored, a message was sent out that the city government and others will expand their provision of water and supplies.
Gov. Yuriko Koike, who heads the headquarters, was set to visit local evacuation shelters and the Hachijo town hall on Wednesday to hear about the situation directly.