Japan issues Level 5 landslide warning for islands south of Tokyo amid heavy rain
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued Level 5 emergency landslide warnings for the village of Niijima and the town of Oshima in the Izu Island chain south of Tokyo on Monday after heavy rain triggered by a frontal system, Jiji Press reports.
At a press conference, Takuya Hosomi, director of the agency's Forecast Division, urged residents to ensure their safety, including by moving to buildings away from cliffs and ravines.
In Niijima, the 24-hour rainfall until 9:40 a.m. reached 485 millimeters, the highest on record for the location.
Warm and moist air from Typhoon Krovanh, the 24th typhoon of the year, near the island of Minamidaitojima in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, flowed into the frontal system, intensifying its activity. The typhoon turned into a tropical cyclone near Minamidaitojima at 9 a.m. Monday.
Heavy rain was also reported in some areas on the Pacific side of the Tohoku region in northeastern Japan on Monday morning due to the influence of the frontal system.
Earlier, it was reported that 3,661 schools in 11 prefectures across Japan were closed on Monday due to heavy rain.