Typhoon Peipah makes landfall twice in Japan; triggers flooding, power outage

Typhoon Peipah made landfall in Japan on Friday, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and widespread disruption to transport and power infrastructure as it moved eastward along the Pacific coast before weakening into an extratropical depression. The year's 15th typhoon made landfall twice in western Japan, near Sukumo and then again in northern Wakayama.

In Shizuoka Prefecture, located in central Japan, authorities reported damage to multiple houses and shops caused by powerful gusts, as per a Kyodo News report. A truck was overturned by the wind and several people sustained injuries from shattered glass.

Eyewitness video captured in Kamakura, just south of Tokyo, showed streets inundated with floodwaters as rain continued to fall and vehicles attempted to navigate submerged roads, according to a video posted by news agency Reuters.

Typhoon Peipah, this year's 15th typhoon, made landfall twice in western Japan: first near Sukumo in Kochi Prefecture at approximately 1 am on Friday and again in northern Wakayama Prefecture around 9 am.

According to a Kyodo News report, approximately 17,000 households in Makinohara and other nearby areas experienced power outages due to the combined impact of a tornado and high winds.

A local restaurant employee described the moment the storm hit, saying the building shook more violently than during an earthquake, despite being made of reinforced concrete.

Train services were also heavily affected, with JR Central and JR West announcing suspensions and delays on both the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines due to intense rainfall.

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings for potential mudslides and flooding in areas affected by the downpours, urging residents to remain cautious as the storm advanced.

According to the Japanese weather agency, the majority of tornadoes in the country occur during August and September, often forming in conjunction with typhoons.

In Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, local authorities recorded a peak hourly rainfall of 127 millimeters, while Shizuoka Airport in Makinohara reported 113 millimeters in the same time frame, both marking local records.

By 9 pm local time, the storm had weakened to a tropical storm off Japan’s eastern coast, according to national broadcaster NHK. However, the Japan Meteorological Agency continued to forecast heavy rainfall across the Tokai, Kanto and Tohoku regions through Saturday, as the system tracked northeast along the Pacific.

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