Four Dead as Record Rain Floods Japan’s Chiba Prefecture

At least four people died after exceptionally heavy rain flooded parts of Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, August 13, Japanese authorities and local reporting said.

Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and surrounding areas as officials warned of flooding and landslides. About 45,000 homes lost electricity, while soldiers were deployed to support relief work.

Rainfall reached 115 millimetres in one hour, roughly the amount the area normally receives during the entire month of August. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest level-five warning for heavy rain and landslides in Chiba for the first time.

Among the victims was a man believed to be in his 60s or 70s whose body was found on a flooded road in Ichikawa. A 66-year-old woman died after her vehicle became trapped by floodwater in Sakura. Two other deaths were also linked to people unable to escape vehicles during the flooding.

Transport was heavily disrupted. About 7,000 passengers spent the night at Narita International Airport, one of the principal airports serving Tokyo, while roughly 1,700 people sheltered at the Chiba prefectural government building.

The rain had eased by Friday, August 14, but authorities said rivers remained dangerous and urged residents to follow local evacuation instructions. Officials warned that flood risk could continue rising in some areas even after the most intense rainfall had passed.

Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the event as highly unusual and said he had not encountered a comparable disaster during previous emergency responses.