Nearly two million residents in Japan have been told to leave their homes as Typhoon Dujuan brought destructive winds and landslides to parts of the country, killing two people and leaving four others missing.
The storm disrupted transport, cut electricity supplies and forced the cancellation of major events as it moved north along Japan’s Pacific coast.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that two people had died, while four others remained missing in Kanagawa prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had issued a warning of an “imminent threat to life” as Dujuan approached, although some of the alerts were later reduced as the storm moved away from the worst-hit areas.
Dujuan was packing sustained winds of 130km/h (80.8mph), with gusts reaching 194 km/h.
More than 50,000 people were left without electricity after strong winds damaged power supplies. Hundreds of flights were also cancelled, while rail operators suspended services in areas affected by the storm.
Authorities called on people to keep checking weather updates and follow evacuation instructions as the typhoon continued its path.
The storm struck during a five-day holiday period, forcing the cancellation of several planned activities.
Organisers cancelled Monday’s concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival, while the Tokyo Game Show also scrapped its Monday programme because of the weather.
Some of the deaths occurred after landslides hit areas affected by the typhoon.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her condolences to those who lost their lives and said she would proceed with her planned visit to the United States despite the disaster.
“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 expected to address the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday and meet US President Donald Trump during the visit.
In Yokosuka City, Kanagawa prefecture, rescue teams searched for a woman in her 60s after a landslide struck her home.
The Yokosuka City Fire Department told the BBC that she may have been swept away and was believed to have been buried alive.
Rescuers later located her inside the house, but NHK reported that she had died.
Another fatal incident occurred in Sodegaura City in Chiba prefecture, where a man in his 50s became trapped while working to remove debris following a landslide.
The Sodegaura City Fire Department said the man fell into a bamboo thicket together with heavy machinery.
He was rescued and taken to hospital, but his death was later confirmed, according to local reports. Police are investigating what happened.
In Kanagawa, firefighters also responded after receiving a call from a man who said his house had been destroyed by a landslide.
Typhoon disrupts holiday activities
Dujuan has caused widespread disruption as it passed through Japan, with its arrival coinciding with a five-day holiday.
The typhoon is the 25th recorded in Japan this year and has forced organisers to cancel several public events.
Among those affected were the Rock in Japan music festival and the Tokyo Game Show, both of which cancelled programmes scheduled for Monday.
The storm has also disrupted air and rail travel, with hundreds of flights grounded and train services suspended.
The number of people without electricity rose above 50,000 as powerful winds swept across affected areas.
Officials have continued urging residents to pay close attention to weather reports, particularly in areas facing the risk of further landslides and heavy rainfall.
Dujuan is part of a wider series of storms affecting the Pacific, with the warmer ocean conditions associated with the “super El Niño” helping provide energy for storm development.
While climate change is not believed to be increasing the total number of storms globally, research suggests that storms which do develop could become more intense as temperatures rise.
Warmer ocean waters can provide storms with more energy, resulting in stronger winds.
A warmer atmosphere can also retain more moisture, meaning powerful storms may produce heavier rainfall and increase the risk of flooding and landslides.
Japan has been described in research as becoming more exposed to damaging storms, although climate change could also lead to fewer such storms in some parts of the world.
El Niño factor
El Niño is also playing a role in the current storm season.
The natural climate pattern causes warmer waters in parts of the tropical Pacific but does not have a clear effect on the overall number of typhoons.
It can, however, influence where storms develop, how powerful they become and the countries they eventually affect.
Some El Niño events can leave Japan more exposed to stronger typhoons.
Dujuan was continuing north along Japan’s Pacific coast, and the full extent of the damage caused by the storm was not expected to be known until Tuesday.