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Typhoon Hagibis: Japan deploys military rescuers as deadly storm hits

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Japan has deployed tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers after one of the strongest storms in years hit, killing at least 18 people.

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo on Saturday, moving north and bringing severe flooding.

Thirteen people are missing from the storm, public broadcaster NHK said.

In central Nagano prefecture, water surrounded Japan's famous bullet trains while helicopters plucked stranded residents from rooftops.

A total of 27,000 military troops and other rescue crews have been deployed in relief operations, authorities said.

"The government will do its utmost," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, promising to deploy more troops if needed.

By Sunday the storm had weakened and moved off land.

In Kawagoe city, north of Tokyo, emergency crews used boats to help residents trapped in a nursing home.

Nearly 150,000 homes in the greater Tokyo area are without power with running water also hit. Train and flight services cancelled under the threat of Hagibis are resuming.

Many of the deaths came as people were buried in landslides or swept away by flood waters.

One woman in her 70s died after accidentally being dropped while being moved by a rescue helicopter, AP reported, citing fire officials.

Some areas of Japan saw up to 40% of their average rainfall in just a few days.

In the town of Hakone near Mount Fuji more than 1m (3ft) of rain fell on Friday and Saturday, the highest total ever recorded in Japan over 48 hours.

The rain also hit farming with fields and warehouses inundated.

"We never had a flood like this before," one farmer, in Higashi Matsuyama city, northwest of Tokyo, told
The storm led to some Rugby World Cup matches being cancelled but a key fixture between Japan and Scotland will go ahead on Sunday.

Qualifying for Japan's Formula One Grand Prix was also disrupted but the race went ahead and was won by Valtteri Bottas.

As the huge storm approached, more than seven million people were urged to leave their homes but it is thought only 50,000 stayed in shelters.

Only last month Typhoon Faxai wreaked havoc on parts of Japan, damaging 30,000 homes, most of which have not yet been repaired.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50032170
 
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Saw some videos of the damage and its scary!
 
Typhoon Hagibis: Japan deploys 110,000 rescuers after worst storm in decades

More than 110,000 people are taking part in search and rescue operations after Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on Saturday.

The typhoon - the worst storm to hit the country in decades - has left at least 31 dead, with 15 missing.

Typhoon Hagibis also caused the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches but the key match between Japan and Scotland went ahead.

Japan won 28-21 and to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

The typhoon has weakened and moved away from land but has left a trail of destruction.

Thousands of police officers, fire fighters, coast guard, and military are now working to reach those trapped by landslides and floods.

The Prime Minister's Office of Japan said they would work at "houses isolated by floods... and search for those unaccounted for".

Around 92,000 households remain without power - down from 262,000 households on Sunday - with 120,000 experiencing water outages.

More than seven million people were urged to leave their homes at the peak of the storm, but it is thought only 50,000 stayed in shelters.

The capital Tokyo was left relatively unscathed but other cities and towns across the country were inundated by water.

More than 1m (3ft) of rain fell in the town of Hakone, the highest total ever recorded in Japan over 48 hours.

In Nagano prefecture, levees along the Chikuma river gave way, sending flood water into residential areas.

It was only last month that Typhoon Faxai wreaked havoc on parts of Japan, damaging 30,000 homes, most of which have not yet been repaired.

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50037907.
 
A fire has ripped through Shuri Castle, a World Heritage Site in Okinawa, Japan, destroying the main building.

Firefighters have been battling the flames since early on Thursday. No injuries have been reported so far.

The wooden castle, built about 500 years ago in the Ryukyu Dynasty, was designated Japan's national treasure in 1933.

It was previously almost destroyed in a battle during World War Two. The current structure is a reconstruction.

Firefighters are still battling the blaze as of 09:00 local time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT), local media said.

The north and south buildings of the castle, of all which were wooden structures, have also burned to the ground, Japan Times reported.

"The cause of the fire has not been determined yet but a security company alarm went off at around 2:30 in the morning," Ryo Kochi, a spokesman with the Okinawa prefectural police told news agency AFP.

Shuri Castle sits on top of a hill overlooking the city of Naha, Okinawa's capital, and is surrounded by curved stone walls.

It served as a campus for Okinawa's largest public university until the 1970s, and has been a popular tourist attraction since.

The mayor of Naha said she was worried by reports that the fire could "threaten or affect" residents in surrounding areas.

Mayor Mikiko Shiroma, told national broadcaster NHK, the city would "do everything in our power" to deal with the fire and its aftermath.

According to Okinawa's tourism site, the castle burned down three times during the Ryukyu Dynasty and was burnt down again in World War Two during the Battle of Okinawa.

It is currently the largest wooden building in Okinawa.

The castle had been scheduled as a stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50244169.
 
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