Japan Urges 200,000 People to Evacuate Due to Heavy Rain

Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. (AFP)
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. (AFP)
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Japan Urges 200,000 People to Evacuate Due to Heavy Rain

Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. (AFP)
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. (AFP)

Nearly 200,000 people in western Japan were urged to evacuate on Saturday as authorities warned of landslides and floods, while the remnants of a tropical storm trickle over the country.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said "warm, moist air... was causing heavy rainfall with thunderstorms in western Japan" partly due to Kong-rey, which was downgraded to an extratropical low-pressure system from a typhoon.

The city of Matsuyama "issued the top-level warning, urging 189,552 residents in its 10 districts to evacuate and immediately secure safety", a city official told AFP.

While the evacuation was not mandatory, Japan's highest-level warning is typically issued when it is extremely likely that some kind of disaster has already occurred.

Forecasters warned that landslides and floods could affect western Japan on Saturday and eastern Japan on Sunday.

Due to rain, Shinkansen bullet trains were briefly suspended between Tokyo and southern Fukuoka region in the morning before resuming on a delayed schedule.

Kong-rey smashed into Taiwan on Thursday as one of the biggest storms to hit the island in decades.

It claimed at least three lives and injured 690 people, according to the National Fire Agency, which added a migrant worker death to the toll on Saturday.

The storm knocked out power to 957,061 households, 27,781 of which were still in the dark as of Saturday.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.



Japan Cyclists Risk Jail for Using a Mobile

This photo taken on April 10, 2024 shows police officers checking on a bicycle along a street in the Shibuya district of central Tokyo. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT
This photo taken on April 10, 2024 shows police officers checking on a bicycle along a street in the Shibuya district of central Tokyo. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT
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Japan Cyclists Risk Jail for Using a Mobile

This photo taken on April 10, 2024 shows police officers checking on a bicycle along a street in the Shibuya district of central Tokyo. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT
This photo taken on April 10, 2024 shows police officers checking on a bicycle along a street in the Shibuya district of central Tokyo. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP) / Japan OUT

Cyclists using a mobile phone while riding in Japan could face up to six months in jail under strict new rules that entered into force Friday, Agence France Presse reported.

Those who breach the revised road traffic law can be punished with a maximum of six months in prison or a fine of up to 100,000 yen ($660).

"Making a call with a smartphone in your hand while cycling, or watching the screen, is now banned and subject to punishment," a National Police Agency leaflet says.

Some accidents caused by cyclists watching screens have resulted in pedestrian deaths, according to the government.

Although the total number of traffic accidents is declining in Japan, the proportion that involve bicycles is on the rise.

Unlike many other countries, riding a bicycle on the pavement is allowed in usually law-abiding Japan and a common sight.

Under the new rules, cycling while drunk can land the rider with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 500,000 yen.

Those who offer alcoholic drinks to cyclists face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 300,000 yen.