Event: Japan

Two tropical storms were bringing heavy rains to parts of Japan on Saturday, with Level 4 landslide warnings issued for Tokyo’s Izu Oshima as well as some areas of Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures, just hours after a powerful earthquake shook Yamanashi Prefecture.The Level 4 warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is the second-highest, which means that the risk of landslide is extremely high and people should evacuate from affected areas.The Level 4 warnings were issued for the town of Minami-Izu and the city of Shimoda, both in Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Choshi, Chiba Prefecture. Parts of all three prefectures were also under Level 3 warnings.As of Saturday morning, Tropical Storm Higos had skirted southern Chiba Prefecture before moving northeast over the Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storm Mekkhala, meanwhile, was churning off the coast of the Kyushu region. The storm is forecast to move closer to land, heading eastward along the Pacific coast, and bringing rain to the southern Kanto area late Saturday.The JMA has urged the public to remain on high alert for landslides, swollen rivers and flooding in low-lying areas due to heavy rain. A map depicting the paths of Tropical Storm Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos | JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY Higos had already brought nearly 180 millimeters of rain — a record for June — to the coastal city of Choshi over the 24 hours through Saturday morning, the JMA said.Heavy rain was forecast overnight Saturday, with parts of Shizuoka Prefecture expected to see 250 millimeters, 200 millimeters in the Kanto region and Izu island chain and 150 millimeters in the Kinki region.The storms approached after Friday night’s magnitude 5.6 earthquake, which jolted Yamanashi and its surrounding prefectures, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, causing damage to some structures and triggering concerns…

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake jolted Yamanashi and surrounding prefectures, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, on Friday evening, causing damage to some structures and triggering at least one landslide.According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), there has been no change in observational data for Mount Fuji, which sits approximately 30 kilometers from the quake’s epicenter, and there is no threat of an immediate eruption.The quake occurred at 10:29 p.m. at a depth of 20 kilometers. It registered lower 6 on Japan’s 7-point shindо scale in the town of Fujikawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture, upper 5 in the city of Otsuki, and lower 5 in some areas of Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures. According to the JMA a lower 6 makes it difficult to stand, and unsecured furniture may fall over. There was no threat of a tsunami.The quake left five people in Yamanashi Prefecture and one person in Kanagawa Prefecture injured, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, who spoke at an emergency news conference at 12:40 a.m. citing data as of 12:10 a.m.Approximately 2,860 households in Yamanashi, Saitama and Ibaraki prefectures experienced power outages following the quake, and a partial water outage occurred in the village of Yamanakako, Yamanashi Prefecture, although details were still being confirmed.As of 11:25 p.m., authorities had received 24 emergency calls, including ones related to collapsed walls and traffic signal malfunctions.At an emergency news conference at 12:40 a.m. Saturday, Ayataka Ebita, head of the JMA’s earthquake and tsunami monitoring division, warned that in the week following a large quake, there is a 10% to 20% chance of another major quake occurring in the same area, especially in the following two to three days.He urged those in areas that experienced strong shaking to exercise caution, and especially those in areas prone to landslides, particularly as two tropical storms are…