4 Dead, Thousands Stranded in ‘Unprecedented’ Heavy Japan Rains

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Narita, Japan: ‘Unprecedented’ heavy rains in eastern Japan have killed at least four people and snarled up roads and rail services, leaving thousands of travelers stranded overnight across transit hubs.

Authorities confirmed fatalities including a driver trapped in a submerged vehicle and a person found on a flooded road, with reports indicating up to six deaths. The torrential storm prompted the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest-level heavy rain warning for Chiba prefecture for the first time.

Widespread transport cancellations trapped approximately 6,000 people overnight at Tokyo's Narita Airport, while hundreds more were stranded at Chiba station. Airport staff distributed free food, water, and sleeping bags as travelers waited out delays that stretched into Friday afternoon.

The extreme weather also knocked out power to roughly 27,000 households across Chiba, Ibaraki, and Tochigi prefectures. Dozens of homes were flooded in cities such as Kashiwa and Sakura, forcing hundreds of residents to spend the night in emergency shelters.

Although top-level warnings were downgraded by Friday morning, scientists emphasize that human-driven climate change is rendering such extreme weather events increasingly frequent, prolonged, and intense.