Record Rain Floods Eastern Japan, Killing 4 and Stranding Thousands

At least four people have died and one person is missing after record-breaking rainfall flooded roads, homes, and train lines in eastern Japan, stranding thousands of travelers at Tokyo's Narita airport and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest-level heavy rain warning for the region for the first time. The downpour struck during one of Japan's busiest holiday weeks, causing widespread disruption across Chiba prefecture, which borders Tokyo.

The torrential rain began on Thursday, August 13, and continued into Friday, August 14. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a Level 5 heavy rain warning, its most severe, for more than a dozen municipalities in Chiba. A JMA official described the event as "shaping up to be an unprecedented level of heavy rain," noting that record-breaking hourly rainfall was recorded in several locations. In Chiba City, 11.5 centimeters of rain fell in one hour, while Sakura city saw 9.7 centimeters in an hour, both records.

The Chiba Prefecture Disaster Management Office confirmed the deaths of four individuals. The victims included a man in his 60s or 70s found on a flooded road in Ichikawa city, a 66-year-old woman found...