Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Tokyo and the south side of Japan’s main island Honshu were sideswiped by tropical storm Mawar on Friday and Saturday, leaving a man dead and three people missing, as well as severe damage across the region.

Transportation was severely disrupted as strong winds hit the area and torrential rains caused floods and landslides.

The Tokaido Shinkansen, or “Bullet Train,” suspended operations on the busy route between Tokyo and Nagoya. Other areas were also affected although most services gradually resumed operations later on Saturday.

On Friday, Tokyo Disneyland closed early, leaving many guests stranded at nearby Maihama Station.

At train stations in the region, long lines of people extending several hundred meters were seen at train stations and taxi stands. Many people at Tokyo Station sat on the floor or stairs while they waited for the trains to start running again.

Heavy rains caused killed one person in Aichi Prefecture on Saturday and injured a total of 35 people in 10 prefectures. In Aichi Prefecture, a man who was rescued from a submerged car was confirmed dead.

Mawar was classified as a typhoon as it hit Japan’s southern Okinawa Prefecture before moving in a northeasterly direction, staying south of Japan’s main island but still packing enough force to cause considerable damage.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, as of 9:20 a.m. on March 3, Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture recorded 179 millimeters of precipitation in 12 hours, the highest in recorded history. 

The amount of rainfall from the beginning of Wednesday to Saturday morning exceeded 500 mm in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Toba City, Mie Prefecture. 

In addition to the dead, missing and injured, 178 houses were damaged in Aichi and Nara prefectures. Landslide warnings were issued in the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions.