TOKYO - Typhoon No. 15 made landfall near Sukumo City in Kochi Prefecture in the early hours of September 5th before re-entering northern Wakayama Prefecture around 9 a.m. The storm then tracked eastward along the Pacific coast, unleashing record rainfall, tornado-like winds, and severe damage across wide areas of Japan.
Shizuoka Prefecture has been among the hardest hit. In Makinohara City, violent gusts ripped through residential areas, toppling utility poles, damaging buildings, and overturning large vehicles. As of 8 p.m. on September 5th, the city reported 228 houses damaged, including one destroyed and 42 partially collapsed. Power outages left neighborhoods in darkness, forcing residents to spend the night under sweltering and humid conditions without air conditioning or fans. Hospitals in the area treated about 30 people for injuries such as fractures and cuts caused by flying debris.
Residents described terrifying scenes as windows shattered, roofs were torn away, and cars were flipped by the force of the winds. A 73-year-old man recounted hiding with his son in a bathroom as his house was partially destroyed, while foreign residents in Makinohara surveyed debris-strewn apartments with broken glass, fallen air conditioning units, and entire walls ripped away.
Rainfall in Shizuoka also reached record levels, with 127 millimeters in one hour in Kikugawa and 113 millimeters at Shizuoka Airport. Flooding inundated parking lots, with cars submerged to the windows, and roads impassable as traffic lights went dark due to outages. In Hamamatsu, police and firefighters continued searching for an elderly man feared to have fallen into a water channel.
Elsewhere, Aichi Prefecture saw intense downpours, with 78 millimeters falling in one hour in Okazaki, submerging roads and stalling vehicles. Residents pushed stranded cars to safety through rising floodwaters. In Kanagawa, gusts struck Owakudani in Hakone, sending tourists scrambling for cover. By late afternoon, linear rainbands triggered flooding in Kamakura and Yokohama, where water surged from manholes as drainage systems were overwhelmed.
In Ibaraki Prefecture, violent winds overturned cars in a parking lot near JR Omika Station in Hitachi. Firefighters received emergency calls around 1:40 p.m. reporting vehicles flipped by strong gusts. Two cars were overturned, though no injuries were reported. Video captured cars being lifted and thrown, with one witness likening the event to a tornado.
Across the country, Typhoon 15 left its mark. In Ito City, Shizuoka, street trees fell and storefronts were damaged by flying debris. In multiple regions, storm surges and torrential rainfall flooded roads, while strong winds tore at buildings and infrastructure.
Although the worst of the rain is expected to pass overnight, authorities warn that saturated soils in Pacific-facing regions remain at high risk of landslides even after rainfall subsides. In Kanto, up to 200 millimeters of additional rain is forecast through midday September 6th.
Looking ahead, skies will clear nationwide on September 6th under high pressure, but dangerous heat is expected to return. Temperatures in Tokai and western Japan may again reach around 35 degrees Celsius, while Tokyo will rise to 32 degrees. Northern Japan will also see warmer conditions, though Tohoku may face intermittent rain.
Despite the typhoon’s departure, recovery efforts are only beginning. Across Japan, emergency crews continue to restore power, clear debris, and assist residents whose homes and livelihoods were battered by Typhoon 15.
Source: TBS
