When Dujuan Crossed Japan’s Coast, Rain Turned Familiar Streets Into Uncertain Paths of Night

Typhoon Dujuan moved across Japan’s Pacific coast with heavy rain and strong winds, leaving behind a landscape marked by landslides, flooding and disrupted electricity supplies. The storm brought a difficult sequence of events to communities east of Tokyo, where emergency crews began working through damaged areas as the weather gradually eased.

According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, four people were killed and six others remained missing after landslides struck parts of Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures. Some of those who died were residents caught in landslides affecting homes, while rescue teams continued searching for people believed to be trapped beneath debris.

The storm also disrupted the ordinary rhythm of daily life. About 45,000 households were without electricity after power lines and other infrastructure were affected. In Chiba, communities near Tokyo experienced flooding, while damaged roads and saturated ground complicated movement for residents and emergency workers.

Dujuan’s rainfall was particularly intense in areas around the Tokyo region. Authorities had already warned of flooding and landslides as the typhoon approached, with some locations recording exceptionally high rainfall. The concern was not only the water itself, but also the instability it created beneath hillsides and around homes.

In Miura, emergency crews continued searching for missing people after landslides struck residential areas. The work carried a difficult rhythm: clearing soil, examining damaged structures and checking places where people might have been trapped. Even after the strongest winds moved away, the danger did not disappear immediately.

The impact of the storm also reflects the vulnerability of densely populated areas when extreme rainfall arrives in a short period. Roads, electricity networks and homes may function normally for years, yet a few hours of intense rain can alter the landscape quickly. For residents, the transition from ordinary life to emergency response can happen almost without warning.

Japan has extensive systems for monitoring typhoons, rainfall and landslide risks, but forecasting does not eliminate the physical consequences of extreme weather. The recent warnings helped authorities prepare for the storm, while emergency services were mobilized as conditions deteriorated. Still, the scale of rainfall placed pressure on communities already dealing with repeated severe weather.

Dujuan also arrived during a year marked by a series of intense weather events in different parts of the world. Reuters noted that Japan’s latest storm fits into a broader pattern of heavy rainfall, floods and tropical cyclones reported across several regions during 2026.

As the storm moved away from Japan, the immediate task shifted from preparation to recovery. Electricity had to be restored, roads assessed and damaged homes inspected, while search operations continued for those still missing. The quiet after the rain therefore carried its own urgency, as communities began measuring what had changed.

For those living along Japan’s Pacific coast, the days after Dujuan will likely be remembered less by the storm’s name than by the places it altered and the people whose lives were affected. The weather may have moved onward, but the work of recovery remained on the ground, one road, home and hillside at a time.

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Sources: Reuters NHK The Japan Times Agence France-Presse