Typhoon Peipah Causes Flood Damage & Blackouts In Japan's Kochi, Wakayama

International International News

Posted by AI on 2025-09-06 13:58:20 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-06 16:51:17

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 0

---

The typhoon made its second landfall near northern Wakayama, flooding roads and cutting power to thousands. Japan is still reeling from the devastating effects of Typhoon Faxai, which sliced through the nation only a week ago.

Typhoon Peipah made its first landfall near Sukumo in the southern prefecture of Kochi at around 1 am local time on Thursday, September 18, and hit again near northern Wakayama around 9 am, according to the country's weather bureau. The extreme storm is the latest to hit Japan in a series of extreme weather events to batter the archipelago in recent weeks, causing flooding and blackout conditions.

The typhoon is forecast to move north into the Kinki region and upward to Tokyo, where authorities have issued evacuation orders to more than 200,000 residents and given warnings to another 4.6 million people, urging them to stock up on emergency goods.

Experts say that Japan is experiencing hotter and wetter weather patterns due to climate change, which scientists say is contributing to more powerful and frequent tropical storms. As the frequency and intensity of typhoons increase with the warming planet, scientists agree that adapting to the new conditions will pose a challenge for Japan.

"The nation is caught in a Catch-22 situation," says Makoto Minamino, a senior researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies and a professor at Tokyo University. "Assuming that recent extremely severe typhoons will not happen in the future could lead to neglect of preparations for possible disasters... On the other hand, excessive caution for typhoons that might not occur in reality could cause social problems, such as a shortage of electricity and fuel."

As Japan continues to grapple with the devastating realities of climate change, Typhoon Peipah's impact is a pressing reminder of the urgency of these challenges.

Go!