TOKYO - Large and powerful Typhoon No. 25 is expected to make its closest approach to the Kanto region from the afternoon through the night of September 21, with flight cancellations already confirmed, planned train suspensions announced across Chiba Prefecture and possible expressway closures extending across the Tokyo metropolitan region.
All Nippon Airways has canceled all flights arriving at and departing from Hachijojima Airport on September 20 and September 21. The airline has also warned that flights using Haneda and Narita airports could be affected from the afternoon of September 20 through September 21 as winds and rain intensify.
Rail disruptions are expected to spread across the greater Tokyo area from the night of September 20 through the early morning of September 22.
JR East has warned that delays or cancellations are possible on a wide range of metropolitan lines, including the Yamanote, Ueno-Tokyo, Shonan-Shinjuku, Tokaido, Keihin-Tohoku, Yokosuka, Nambu, Yokohama, Sagami, Tsurumi, Utsunomiya, Takasaki, Saikyo, Kawagoe and Musashino lines.
Possible disruption has also been announced for the Chuo Rapid Line, Chuo-Sobu local services, Chuo Main Line, Ome Line, Itsukaichi Line, Joban rapid and local services, Sobu Rapid Line, Keiyo Line, Hachiko Line, Karasuyama Line, Nikko Line and trains running directly between JR and the Sotetsu network.
More extensive suspensions have been confirmed in Chiba Prefecture for September 21, where some routes closer to the projected path of the typhoon will stop operating completely for part or all of the day.
The Kururi Line between Kisarazu and Kazusa-Kameyama will be suspended throughout September 21.
Services on the Uchibo Line between Kimitsu and Awa-Kamogawa and on the Sotobo Line between Honda and Awa-Kamogawa are scheduled to stop from around 2 p.m. through the final trains of the day.
The entire Togane Line is scheduled to stop operating from around 3 p.m., while services on the Sobu Main Line between Sakura and Choshi and the Narita Line between Narita and Choshi are due to be suspended from around 4 p.m. The Kashima Line is also scheduled to stop from around 4 p.m. through the end of service.
JR East cautioned that the plans could change depending on the typhoon's track and the development of heavy rain and strong winds.
Heavy rain was already affecting parts of Chiba Prefecture on September 20, temporarily disrupting sections of the Sotobo Line and causing some Wakashio limited express services to be canceled.
Road travel is also expected to face significant disruption.
NEXCO Central has warned that sections of the Tomei Expressway and Chuo Expressway could be closed on September 21, with several routes potentially becoming impassable at the same time. The operator has urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel and to consider changing departure times.
NEXCO East has also identified a series of expressway sections in Chiba Prefecture that could be closed as rainfall and winds strengthen.
On the Ken-O Expressway between Togane Interchange and Junction and Mobara-Chonan Interchange, a closure could begin from around 9 p.m. on September 20.
From around 8 a.m. on September 21, possible closures include the Tateyama Expressway between Anesaki-Sodegaura and Futtsu-Takeoka interchanges, the Kisarazu-Minami Junction to Kisarazu-Minami Interchange section, the Aqua-Line connecting road between Sodegaura Interchange and Kisarazu Junction, and the Ken-O Expressway between Mobara-Chonan and Kisarazu-Higashi interchanges.
Further closures could follow from around 5 p.m., including the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line between Kawasaki-Ukishima Junction and Sodegaura Interchange because of strong winds, the Keiyo Road between Soga and Anesaki-Sodegaura interchanges, and the Futtsu-Tateyama Road between Futtsu-Takeoka and Tomiura interchanges.
The projected closure times are estimates rather than confirmed start times and may be brought forward, delayed or canceled depending on actual rainfall and wind conditions.
The Seisho Bypass in Kanagawa Prefecture has already been affected by high waves, with part of the route closed from September 19.
The disruption comes during Japan's five-day Silver Week holiday, when roads and trains are already carrying heavier leisure traffic. Nozomi services on the Tokaido Shinkansen are operating with all seats reserved during the holiday period, and ordinary-class seats on some outbound trains have been close to fully booked.
Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate sharply as Typhoon No. 25 approaches. The storm was moving north over waters south of Japan at 3 p.m. on September 20 with a central pressure of 970 hectopascals, maximum sustained winds of 35 meters per second and maximum gusts of 50 meters per second.
The typhoon is forecast to retain its strong intensity as it passes near the Izu Islands on September 21 before moving off the Boso Peninsula from the evening into the night.
Coastal areas of Kanto and the Izu Islands could experience sustained winds exceeding 20 meters per second and gusts of around 30 meters per second, with even stronger gusts possible in the Izu Islands. Heavy rain could also push total rainfall through the morning of September 22 to between 200 and 300 millimeters in parts of the Izu Islands, Shizuoka Prefecture and southern Kanto.
With rail suspensions, flight cancellations and road closures likely to change as the storm approaches, travelers are being urged to check the latest information from airlines, railway companies and expressway operators before setting out.
Source: FNN
