Typhoon Dujuan threatens Tokyo, 275 flights canceled and 4,000 homes without power

Typhoon Dujuan is approaching the Tokyo region on Monday, September 21, bringing torrential rain, strong winds, and an increased risk of flooding and landslides in eastern Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warns that conditions may deteriorate rapidly as the system moves along the Pacific coast.

At least 275 flights have been canceled today, including 260 domestic and 15 international routes. Japan Airlines has canceled 120 domestic flights and 15 international ones, while All Nippon Airways has scrapped 140 flights. Additionally, more than 4,000 homes in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, are without electricity, and several train lines have suspended all or part of their services.

The Izu Islands, Chiba, and other areas along the Pacific coast have already received over 300 millimeters of rain in some locations since Saturday. The JMA continues to classify the episode that began on September 19 as a period of heavy rain and strong winds associated with Typhoon No. 25, the name used in Japan for Dujuan.

Rainfall could still reach up to 300 mm in the Kanto region and the Izu Islands within the next twenty-four hours, 350 mm in Tokai, and 200 mm in Tohoku. Authorities are particularly monitoring the potential formation of linear rain bands, which can concentrate extreme rainfall over a narrow area and sharply increase the risk of flooding and inundation.

Dujuan is expected to pass near the Tokyo metropolitan area during the day before continuing its trajectory northeast. Meteorological services have urged residents in exposed areas to remain vigilant against landslides, river overflows, strong winds, and high waves.

The disruptions are also affecting several major events. The Tokyo Game Show scheduled for Monday has been canceled, while a music festival and a baseball game in Chiba have also been called off. In Aichi Prefecture, organizers of the Asian Games have postponed the equestrian event to Tuesday.