Typhoon Dujuan strikes Japan, leaves 2 dead, displaces millions

International

TWO people have died and four are missing as Typhoon Dujuan batters Japan, where almost two million people have been urged to evacuate amid powerful winds, landslides and widespread disruption.

The storm is continuing north along Japan’s Pacific coast, with sustained winds of 130km/h (80.8mph) and gusts reaching 194km/h. More than 50,000 people have been left without power, while hundreds of flights have been cancelled and rail services suspended.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency had warned of an “imminent threat to life”, although several weather warnings have since been downgraded.

Authorities have urged residents to continue monitoring weather information.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported two deaths and four missing people. In Yokosuka, the city fire department told the BBC that a woman in her 60s may have been swept away after a landslide struck her home. Rescue crews later found her inside the house, where she was pronounced dead, NHK reported.

In Chiba prefecture, the Sodegaura City Fire Department told the BBC that a man in his 50s became trapped while clearing debris at a landslide site. He fell into a bamboo thicket along with heavy machinery and was taken to hospital, where his death was later confirmed, according to local reports.

The storm has also disrupted events during a five-day holiday period. Monday’s concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival were cancelled, as was the Monday programme at the Tokyo Game Show.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi offered condolences to those who died and said she would continue with a planned trip to the United States.

“With a sense of urgency, I instructed Chief Cabinet Secretary Takehara and Minister Hosono to respond with utmost preparedness,” she wrote, before saying she had boarded a flight to the US.

Takaichi is due to address the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and meet US President Donald Trump.

Dujuan is Japan’s 25th typhoon of the year. It comes as El Niño contributes to warmer Pacific waters, although the climate pattern does not have a clear effect on the overall number of typhoons. Warmer oceans can fuel stronger storms, while a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and contribute to heavier rainfall.(MyTVCebu)