TOKYO – A volatile combination of a stalled seasonal rain front and two oncoming tropical systems has unleashed catastrophic flooding across broad swathes of western Japan, leaving one person injured and causing widespread disruption to infrastructure just as the system tracks toward the Tokyo metro area.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) confirmed Friday afternoon that Tropical Storm Mekkhala was churning northeastward off the western shoreline of Amami, Japan’s remote southern island. A second storm, Higos, is tracking close on Mekkhala’s heels, and forecasters project both systems will reach the Tokyo region by Saturday, bringing with them sustained, intense rainfall that threatens to worsen already dangerous conditions.
Local reports from Japan’s national public broadcaster NHK detailed one early casualty Friday: a man was hospitalized after falling into a rushing, swollen waterway in Nara Prefecture. Visual footage from Kyoto captured the iconic Kamo River transformed into a surging channel of murky floodwater, prompting emergency officials to roll out flood warnings across multiple districts in Kyoto, Osaka and other neighboring prefectures in western Japan.
As of Friday evening, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency recorded more than 30 private residences across Nara and Hiroshima that have been fully or partially inundated by rising floodwaters. Beyond property damage, the relentless downpour has snarled regional transportation networks, forcing the suspension of multiple local train routes and prompting airlines to cancel or delay dozens of flights serving the affected region.