June 5, 2023
TOKYO – Heavy downpours drenched areas from the Tokai region to Kanto through Saturday morning, triggered by Typhoon No. 2 and the effects of a seasonal rain front.
Sixteen locations across eight prefectures logged record rainfall in a 24-hour period from Friday to Saturday.
As of 10 a.m. Saturday, one person had died in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, and 30 people had suffered serious to light injuries as a result of the heavy rain, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA).
The severe downpours also affected transportation networks, with partial suspensions on the Tokaido Shinkansen line on Saturday morning.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, record rainfall was logged in Toba, Mie Prefecture (490.5 millimeters); Tahara, Aichi Prefecture (451.5 millimeters) and Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture (260.5 millimeters), among other locations.
On Friday evening, a man died after his vehicle was submerged in floodwater in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, according to the FDMA and other sources. Also, a man and woman in Wakayama Prefecture are missing after being swept away by floodwater.
A total of 30 people sustained injuries in the heavy rains in Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Aichi, Mie, Wakayama and Okinawa prefectures.
Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen line were suspended between Tokyo and Nagoya from the early morning through noon Saturday to confirm the safety of the tracks. The downpours also caused train cancellations and service reductions in the Tokyo metropolitan area.