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One dead, 60 injured as typhoon sideswipes Japan

35 Comments

Typhoon Ma-On swerved away from Japan's Pacific coast Wednesday, leaving one person dead and dozens of others injured and damaging a centuries-old castle in Kyoto, officials and reports said.

The storm system, packing winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour, was located 140 kilometers offshore late Wednesday, slowly heading east and further from Honshu.

The Japan Meteorogical Agency said Ma-On was still expected to bring downpours overnight in the country's eastern and northern regions including coastal areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami which sparked a crisis at a nuclear power plant in the area.

The drowned body of an 84-year-old man was found on the bank of a river in Kochi Prefecture after he went missing on Tuesday while checking his boat, local police said.

The eye of Ma-On, which spanned 1,600 kilometers, made landfall on Shikoku late Tuesday, bringing up to 120 centimeters of rain since Sunday, the weather agency said.

It also sideswiped a peninsula south of Osaka later as it moved at 15 kilometers per hour.

A total of 60 people were injured in 18 of the country's 47 prefectures and more than 100 flights were cancelled, the public broadcaster NHK reported.

In the ancient capital of Kyoto, a treasured white plastered wall at the 385-year-old Nijo Castle peeled off after it was exposed to rain and wind from the typhoon, the city office said.

The castle is designated by the U.N. agency UNESCO as one of World Heritage sites.

The weather agency warned that the tsunami-hit northeast coastal area would see rainfall of up to 50 millimeters per hour overnight, urging the region to brace for possible landslides and floods.

© Agence France-Presse

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

35 Comments
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I was freezing last night.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Newbies to Japan, learn to respect the warnings

problem is with 'oldbies', newbies are most obedient and respectful to warnings whether right or wrong.

.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They usually bounce out to sea, but that is hard to predict.

Yamato-shi in Kanagawa had a real lot of rain , and going to have a real lot again tomorrow.

Newbies to Japan, learn to respect the warnings.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Can't believe the comments here... This was a pretty big and bad typhoon. I guess since it didn't hit the areas you live it it wasn't bad enough... We should feel lucky it didn't cause more death and destruction and plow through the main island and instead was bounced back out to sea.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

hmmm..

i always wonder what the japanese will do if a Caribbean Hurricane hit here!

die?

run for they life?

my, this is just a storm like always happened in the Caribbean!!!!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

For those of us who live in Japan, I think they are referring to typhoon 6.

It's pretty easy, there's only one typhoon beating up Shikoku/Kansai this week. Doesn't matter if they call it #6, Ma-On or Betty, it's pretty obvious what is being referred to.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I live in Fukuoka, so the typhoon was not hit directly. However, Miyazaki was hit. I worry about my friends, because my friends live in Miyazaki.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

For those of us who live in Japan, I think they are referring to typhoon 6.

In emergency situations it is helpful if people use the same names for things. As this is Japan I wish JT would say "typhoon 6" as it is more helpful to be in tune with the local media. The Meteorological Agency calls it 1106 and uses brackets around (MA-ON). When I turn on the TV to catch emergency information they don't mention MA-ON.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I don't think the warnings do much good any more, there is so much carp laying around, if there was a direct hit it would get picked up and do some real damage.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Just adding to my mention of "#19" above, it was the worst to strike Japan since 1961 at that point... Didn't realize it at the time. Look up "Typhoon Mireille" in Wiki. We were without electricity for almost a week where I was.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Speed, why spend so much money on satellites if the best they can do is send a photo? In other countries a prefecture by prefecture weather forecast is given with 90% reliability actually even smaller areas are repotted on. I have been slammed by a Typhoon and it's not fun. So I am sensitive to warnings but now I'm in Tokyo and after sooooo many warnings, got to say little bit jaded.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Yup, I used to think they were "over sensationalized" in my first years here (beginning in 1984). Then we got slammed by #19 in 1991 down here in the Hiroshima (and surrounding) area. Collapsed buildings, roofs completely gone, large trucks overturned, many fatalities.

I've been "overly cautious" ever since... Oh, and you get even more so after building your own home and having kids.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Yeah, I just don't get the comments complaining about being overly cautious. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it concerns the weather. No matter how much more advanced technology is now, it just can't predict what mother nature will do 100% of the time.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

We got lucky that Ma-On decided to go out to see again instead of going all the way up the archipelago.

Yes, we've had more than enough disaster this year!!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

And today's top stories: A windy storm that kills one, and the rest...well we will just cover the girls soccer team all week with AKB48 commercials. Next in International news....

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Torrential rain here, winds not too bad. You won't find me complaining that it wasn't worse.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As I said before on this thread, it's a shame to see people complaining about the lack of severity in their area. True, it seemed a little odd that the weather was fine but schools cancelled in a number of areas, but I agree that it's better to be safe than sorry. I can only imagine that comments (and I would be there, too!) if a school decided to hold session and got wiped out by strong winds. And the winds WERE strong in a lot of places. We got lucky that Ma-On decided to go out to see again instead of going all the way up the archipelago.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

CrickyJUL. 20, 2011 - 05:18PM JST Aaahhh... The Typhoon is NOT going to hit ferociously all of Nippon.

The problem is, is that they cannot predict with certainty exactly where these giant typhoons are going to go. Nature is unpredictable.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

i think many of you who are complaining that it was "weak" and accusing the authorities of crying wolf are fortunate that the typhoon switched directions and headed straight east. My area had over 100 centimeters (1,000 millimeters!) in the course of two days. The river near my house was on the verge of flooding over its banks which would've been catastrophic for our city. Another meter and a half rise and we would've been forced to evacuate.

I'm not sure what it is that people who think the authorities were over-reacting want them to do next time. Wait until people actually get killed before putting out their warnings? If this storm were to stay stationary and slowly continue moving in a northern trajectory over land it would've caused horrendous damage.

Many doubting Thomasas were wiped out by Hurricane Katrina because they didn't take the warnings seriously enough. I don't want the same mistakes being made here.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

'Do you want to try to shut down schools and business and get people home AFTER a typhoon arrives?' Thats the whole point,friend,satellite map was telling us that it was OBVIOUSLY,never,ever going to arrive...dont drive your cars in the breeze,people !! Is that disaster prep. ?

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Aaahhh... The Typhoon is NOT going to hit ferociously all of Nippon. I think that's the point! Lack of empathy is NOT the point. None of us want to be in the front line. All of us (I hope) worry about those bearing the brunt of it. Some places get hammered year after year, adapt to it, it's Nature can not fight it or complain too much if you choose to live there. Having a N plant self destruct next door that's another story. Batten down the hatches and don't be too angry others are not in the same boat.

The Government has spend trillions on weather satellites and the best the can do is give a nation wide panic warning! Expensive bento boxes in space.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

over sensationalized not only by NHK but private channels as well, eg Asahi was using dark red color even after it was known that the typhoon has changed its course and was moving away from Kansai area (they were predicting 500mm rainfall, but i didn't rain 1mm even) !!!

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Typhoons happen every year, Radiation does not...that's a story.

It's a big story if it affects you. Perhaps someone in Okinawa doesn't give a care about you and your radiation since it doesn't affect them, does that make it not news?

To put it another way - earthquakes happen every year, too. Should they not be news?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

what is the difference between you and your 'lots of rain' self-centredness,and we 'complainers'(yeah,whatever) asking why our local school,unis,and highways etc. were closed( miles away from southern Japan) on a whiff of wind

Do you want to try to shut down schools and business and get people home AFTER a typhoon arrives? Disaster planning, friend - better safe than sorry. Look what a lack of disaster preparedness got us in Tohoku.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Typhoon winds and rain -- It really DOES depend on your locality. It blew and rained like crazy off and on yesterday and last night where I am (Shizuoka-ken). Would NOT want to have been out in that.

NHK has to present the news for the whole country, and apparently feels a strong responsibility to warn residents, just in case. (paternal attitude of government -- like train announcements not to forget things). And there were landslides, road washouts, and a serious sea-wall break down south, after all. There was some amazing footage of huge waves hitting the piers and shore, though NHK always has really bad luck with filming "live typhoon views" around their studios! :-)

But yeah, I'm always amazed at the numbers of cases of people trying to fix roofs or clean up something during the worst of it, and then they get injured. A bit "duh"...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

kawachi,what is the difference between you and your 'lots of rain' self-centredness,and we 'complainers'(yeah,whatever) asking why our local school,unis,and highways etc. were closed( miles away from southern Japan) on a whiff of wind..I see you're 'geez' and double it !!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

bookowls,

MAybe you can go and visit the 51 injured people and tell them to stop over sensationalizing their injuries as you dont believe it was that bad. Maybe you can tell them they should toughen up as your 10yo is stronger than the typhoon

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Again, with people complaining about what DIDN'T happen where THEY live. Well, I live in Tokushima where there was a lot of rain! In neighboring Kochi, there was over 1000 mm of rain, more than they get in 3 months! So stop being so self-centered and think about places other than where you are. Geez!

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Too much cry wolf, when a big one hits it will be a disaster no one will expect it. 10 years of " oh no typhoon" and only once has the trains stopped. I do understand further south they do cause problems death and destruction. But surly a localized warning could be in place rather than a blanket let's all panic system that is in place now. NHK having reporters standing in a gale wearing a plastic hat and a raincoat telling me it's windy year after year...I'd rather see them in a NBC suit telling me the radiation is really strong here and filming trucks taking produce to a supermarket. Typhoons happen every year, Radiation does not...that's a story.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Truly,someone ought to distinguish between a very windy July day and a typhoon..must be another cultural difference.

Yes, because 180km/h winds are just like a normal windy July day! And that 120cm of rain? Pfft, we get that on a Friday in May.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Not sure why people are complaining it wasn't more destructive. Winds were pretty strong in my area, though the rain was not much. Blew my umbrella inside out and out of my hands. Anyway, this is the second time Ma-On has hit Japan while I've been here (last time in the rotation of names it hit as well). Wasn't as bad as some of the media made it out to be, and was rather weak given the size, but hey.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Truly,someone ought to distinguish between a very windy July day and a typhoon..must be another cultural difference.

-1 ( +4 / -6 )

Ivan - Yep, unfortunately with almost every typhoon it is usually some old guy on his roof carrying out repairs who becomes the statistic.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This entire typhoon was over sensationalized! It was supposed to hit my area here in southern japan yesterday, but we didn't get so much as a breeze! And as for NHK, did you see their reporting on it last night? They showed a bush shaking in the wind! My ten year old could shake it harder than the paltry breeze they showed up close!

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Don't tell me - the person missing was a man in his eighties, last seen walking along a canal bank? Or climbing up a ladder to fix his roof in high winds?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

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