Hundreds of Flights Grounded
Typhoon approaches eastern Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings
- Oshima gets highest-level landslide emergency warning after more than 300 mm of rain since Saturday
- Asian Games organisers postpone equestrian eventing competition in Aichi Prefecture until Tuesday
- Takaichi delays her New York departure by four hours and is now due to leave at 11 p.m. JST
Rough waves hit the coast as Typhoon Dujuan approaches, in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, September 21, 2026. Reuters.
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan's Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, violent winds and a heightened risk of landslides across the Kanto region and other parts of eastern Japan, the weather agency said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned that conditions could deteriorate rapidly as Typhoon Dujuan was forecast to pass close to the Tokyo metropolitan area later in the day.
Heavy rain has already drenched the Izu Islands and parts of Japan's Pacific coast, with some locations recording more than 300 mm (12 inches) of rainfall since Saturday, prompting authorities to issue the highest-level landslide emergency warning for the town of Oshima in the Izu Islands, about 110 km (68 miles) south of Tokyo.
The JMA said downpours could intensify from Monday afternoon as the typhoon nears the Kanto region, an area that includes Tokyo and surrounding prefectures.
At the Asian Games in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture, organisers postponed the equestrian eventing competition until Tuesday due to the approaching typhoon.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's departure for New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly was delayed by four hours because of the storm, with the government saying she would now leave Tokyo at 11 p.m. JST (1500 GMT).
Authorities cautioned that linear rain bands could form over Kanto and central Japan, sharply raising the risk of flash floods and other rain-related disasters.
Linear bands, which have become a growing concern in Japan in recent years, can dump extraordinary amounts of rain over a narrow area for several hours.
Typhoon Dujuan comes amid a year of extreme weather events around the world, with unusually intense rainfall, flooding and tropical cyclones affecting regions from East Asia to North America and Europe.
Meanwhile, Saudi Gazette reports: Hundreds of flights have been grounded and over 1.6 million residents placed under evacuation advisories as Typhoon Dujuan moves toward Tokyo, threatening to deliver record-breaking rainfall.
Dujuan briefly reached typhoon strength on Friday before weakening into a tropical storm on Sunday morning. Meteorologists expect it to intensify back into a typhoon by Tuesday morning.
While the Japanese mainland is set to avoid a direct landfall, the storm's path traverses the Izu Islands, where active evacuation warnings are in place. Widespread alerts for torrential rain, flooding, and landslides remain active, alongside severe coastal wave hazards.
Late summer and early autumn frequently bring powerful typhoons to Japan; previous storms this season have already disrupted events at the ongoing Asian Games.
By Monday, Dujuan generated wind speeds of approximately 144 km/h while positioned roughly 130 kilometers south of Katsuura City, near Tokyo.
The approaching system caused major travel and utility disruptions, with Japan Airlines canceling 135 flights and All Nippon Airways scrapping 140. Additionally, more than 9,000 households near Tokyo suffered power outages.
