Tropical Storm Jangmi reached Tokyo this Wednesday, bringing torrential rain that grounded flights and forced large-scale evacuations across east-central Japan.
The storm's arrival in the capital disrupts one of the world's most densely populated urban centers, threatening critical infrastructure and transportation networks during the peak of the rainy season.
Jangmi moved northward from the south of the country, causing rivers to swell and travel to be disrupted. Japanese authorities ordered evacuations for around 370,000 people [1] as the system brought heavy precipitation to Tokyo and surrounding regions. The impact extended beyond the capital, affecting southern and western Japan, including the western Shikoku island.
The storm, which was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm, has left tens of thousands of people without power [2]. Emergency services said that at least 16 persons were injured [2] as the weather system moved through the region.
Flight cancellations and groundings occurred as the storm's center approached the capital. Local officials said they have continued to monitor river levels to prevent further flooding in residential areas, a recurring challenge for the region during severe weather events.
Authorities said residents in high-risk zones should remain in shelters until the system clears the archipelago. The combination of saturated soil and intense rainfall has increased the risk of landslides in the more mountainous western regions of the country.
“around 370,000 people were urged to evacuate”
The rapid transition of Jangmi from a typhoon to a tropical storm does not diminish its impact, as the primary threat in Japan's urban corridors is often the volume of rainfall rather than wind speed. The scale of the evacuation orders and the resulting power outages highlight the vulnerability of the region's power grid and transport hubs to extreme weather, necessitating ongoing investments in flood mitigation and emergency response infrastructure.
