TOKYO – A slow-moving tropical storm had a far-reaching impact in much of Japan on Friday, dumping heavy rain around Tokyo and flooding roads and riverside areas in the south.
Flooding was reported in a number of areas in Kanagawa prefecture, west of Tokyo, where floodwater blocked roads, stalling vehicles and traffic. Warnings for heavy rain and potential landslides included the densely populated capital, Kanagawa and nearby Shizuoka prefecture.
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Muddy water flowed down the Meguro River in one of Tokyo's popular cherry blossom viewing spots, the water significantly swollen from its usual levels, NHK television footage showed.
In Hiratsuka town, dozens of cars in a parking lot sat in water just below their windows. A pedestrian waded through floodwater as high as his thighs. In another Kanagawa town, Ninomiya, floodwater from a river stalled vehicles on a street and broken tree branches were stuck on a bridge over the swollen water.
Tropical Storm Shanshan made landfall Thursday morning on the southern main island of Kyushu as a powerful typhoon. It steadily weakened but did not move much. It was on the northern edge of the Shikoku island, east of Kyushu, Friday night. The slow pace increases the amount and duration of the rainfall and risks of disaster, experts say.
Before the storm made landfall, it caused a landslide that killed three people. Three more have since been found dead, according to prefectural disaster management offices.
A man in his 80s died in Fukuoka, after falling into a river. Another elderly man died when he was thrown to the ground at a shrine in the Saga prefecture. A sixth victim was killed in Tokushima when the roof of his house fell on him.
About 100 people have been injured across the country, most of them in the Kyushu region. Two people are missing.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Shanshan was heading east toward the Shikoku and Honshu main islands with 72 kph (44 mph) winds but a forward speed of just 10 kph (6 mph).
JMA forecast up to 30 centimeters (11 inches) of rainfall in Shikoku and central Japan, and up to 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) for Tokyo and nearby prefectures in the next 24 hours through Saturday noon.
The storm has paralyzed traffic, delivery services and businesses across southwestern Japan.
Hundreds of domestic flights connecting southwestern cities were canceled, and Shinkansen bullet trains were suspended between Tokyo and Osaka on Friday. Postal and delivery services were mostly suspended in the southwestern regions of Kyushu and Shikoku, and supermarkets and other stores were closed in the region. Automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. closed down their factories in the affected regions through Friday.