The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 heavy-rain special warning this Thursday for six municipalities across Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures [4].
This highest-level alert indicates an imminent risk to life from flooding and landslides, requiring residents to take immediate action to secure their safety.
The warning covers five municipalities in Ishikawa Prefecture, including Hakui City, Shiga Town, Hōdatsu-Shimizu Town, and Nono-cho, and Himi City in Toyama Prefecture [2, 5]. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the alert was announced at 6:20 a.m. JST [3].
Depending on the source, the number of people under the emergency safety order ranges from approximately 140,000 [1] to over 170,000 [2]. The agency said that because the danger to life is imminent, people must ensure their safety immediately [6].
Prime Minister Takashi held a press conference at 7:20 a.m. JST to address the crisis [7]. He said residents in the affected areas should prioritize actions that protect their lives [8].
Local authorities have advised residents to avoid all unnecessary travel and move to the safest possible locations within their current buildings. The Level 5 status is the most severe warning in the Japanese weather alert system, used only when a disaster is already occurring or is certain to occur within a very short timeframe.
“Prioritize actions that protect your lives.”
A Level 5 special warning is a critical escalation from standard evacuation orders. Unlike Level 4, which instructs residents to evacuate to shelters, Level 5 signals that it may already be too dangerous to move outdoors. Residents are often advised to seek the highest floor of a sturdy building or a safe interior space to avoid being caught in flash floods or mudslides.
