KYOTO - Damage was reported across the Kansai region after a stationary seasonal rain front and an approaching typhoon brought torrential rain on June 26, triggering landslides in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, flooding homes in Nara, and disrupting roads and railway services in Osaka and surrounding areas.
The town of Seika issued a Level 5 Emergency Safety Order, the highest alert level, at 8:15 a.m. for 239 households and 529 residents in the Higashihata district after a rain-related landslide disaster occurred. The town said the order covered landslide warning areas in Higashihata, a district near the border between Kyoto and Nara prefectures.
Seika officials warned that lives were in imminent danger and said evacuating outdoors could be dangerous. The town urged residents to immediately secure their safety by moving to a nearby safe building or to a room on the second floor of their home on the side away from mountains or cliffs.
The Level 5 order was later lifted at 6:53 p.m., but Seika immediately issued a Level 4 evacuation order for the same Higashihata district after signs of possible landslides were detected in some areas and the risk of further slope failure remained high. The town continued to urge residents to evacuate if possible, or to move to the second floor on the side of their home away from mountains if going outside was dangerous.
Evacuation sites for the Higashihata district included Higashihata Community Hall, Kashinoki-en, Mukunoki Center and Jinken Center. Earlier in the day, four evacuation sites had been opened and four people had taken shelter.
According to Seika officials, an irrigation channel in Higashihata temporarily overflowed before 7 a.m., sending water into the entrance of a nearby home and causing underfloor flooding. Stone walls along roadsides and slopes also collapsed in multiple locations around the town.
Before the Level 5 alert, Seika had issued a Level 4 evacuation order at 7:30 a.m. after the Susutani River reached flood danger level, raising the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. The order covered flood-prone parts of Hishida, Takinohana, Nakakubota, Fune, Sato, Sobo and Asahi. Evacuation centers were opened at Kashinoki-en, Mukunoki Center and Jinken Center.
The heavy rain was part of a broader pattern affecting Osaka, Kyoto and Nara before dawn. Weathernews said Mount Ikoma, on the Osaka-Nara prefectural border, recorded 76.5 millimeters of rain in one hour, the highest since observations began there in 1976.
In Osaka, 40.5 millimeters of rain was observed in the hour to 6 a.m., while near Mount Ikoma in Nara Prefecture, 52.5 millimeters fell in the hour to 7 a.m. The intense rain caused rivers and drainage systems to rise rapidly across parts of Kansai.
Damage was also reported elsewhere in the region. In Osaka’s Ikuno Ward, water gushed from multiple manholes and parts of a road were pushed upward, scattering mud, debris and broken pavement. Footage from around 6 a.m. showed heavy rain falling as the ground buckled and the road surface peeled away.
In Ikoma, Nara Prefecture, flooding was more extensive than initially reported, with 15 homes flooded above floor level and dozens of others believed to have suffered underfloor flooding. Residents said the water rose suddenly and became too dangerous to escape through the streets.
"Everything from here was submerged. It was about 20 to 30 centimeters deep. When I looked at the river, it was coming this way," said one resident whose home was flooded above floor level.
Another resident said the floodwater rose "in an instant," while a separate resident said the force of the water was so strong that evacuation became difficult, especially with children at home.
In Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, part of a hillside behind homes collapsed, sending mud into two houses. No injuries were reported, but mud, debris and rubble were scattered across nearby roads, making passage difficult. A nearby resident said there was a loud sound as the slope gave way, adding that they had not expected the hillside to collapse.
River levels also rose in many areas. Level 4 flood danger warnings were temporarily issued for the Kamo River and Takano River in Kyoto and the Neyagawa River basin in Osaka Prefecture. The warnings reflected the speed at which waterways and drainage systems were swelling under repeated bands of heavy rain.
The alerts came as the seasonal rain front stalled near Japan while the approaching typhoon fed warm, moist air into the system, creating conditions for repeated heavy rain. Authorities warned that even after the peak of the rain had passed, slopes and riverbanks could remain unstable.
Transport was also affected by the rain. Weathernews reported suspensions on JR’s Yamatoji Line and Gakkentoshi Line, as well as on Kintetsu’s Nara, Ikoma and Keihanna lines. The disruption came as railway operators across Kansai monitored rainfall, river levels and slope conditions.
The Level 5 alert in Seika was Japan’s most serious warning category and is issued when a disaster has already occurred or is believed to be imminent. At that stage, authorities urge people to take whatever action offers the best chance of survival, including moving to a higher floor or to the side of a building away from slopes if going outside is unsafe.
Level 4 evacuation orders, meanwhile, are used to urge all people in affected areas to evacuate from dangerous locations. Seika’s morning Level 4 order was linked to flood risk along the Susutani River, while the Level 5 order was linked to landslide danger in Higashihata. The evening downgrade to Level 4 did not mean the danger had passed, with the town continuing to warn that landslides could still occur.
The combination of landslides, river flood risk, overflowing drainage channels, urban flooding and road damage underscored the danger posed by the slow-moving rain front and typhoon-related moisture. Local governments urged residents to keep checking evacuation information and avoid rivers, canals, underpasses and steep slopes until the ground and waterways stabilize.
