Powerful Typhoon No. 15 made landfall near Chiba at around 5 a.m. on Monday, with heavy rain and winds pummeling the Kanto region.
According to data collected by The Yomiuri Shimbun, at least 20 people were injured in Chiba and other prefectures as one of the strongest typhoons ever to hit the region made landfall.
Railway companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area announced in advance the suspension of operations from the first train.
It was the first typhoon to hit the Kanto region since Typhoon No. 9 in August 2016, according to the Meteorological Agency.
Maximum wind speeds of 57 meters per second were recorded in Chuo Ward, Chiba, and record wind speeds were recorded in 15 locations in Tokyo and three prefectures. Mt. Amagi in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, was hit by a record 109 millimeters of rainfall in an hour.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, there were reports of two serious injuries in Chiba and Saitama prefectures. At least 18 people suffered minor injuries in five prefectures. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, about 330,000 people in about 140,000 households in four prefectures, including Ibaraki, were advised to evacuate as of 8 a.m.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) and private railway companies suspended operations from the first train. Services had resumed on many lines between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m, but the resumption of operations on some JR lines, including the Yamanote Line, were delayed by more than two hours. Some sections of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were also suspended from the first train.
As of 11 a.m., 104 domestic and three international flights on Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways had been canceled.
At least 43 sections of expressways in the Kanto region, including the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line and Ken-o Expressway, were closed.
The typhoon is expected to pass through the Kanto region before noon and reach the Sanriku coast in the evening.
Power outages also occurred across the Tokyo metropolitan area.
As of 9 a.m. on Monday, NTT Docomo Inc. mobile phone services were disrupted in parts of Tokyo, Kanagawa and three other prefectures, due to power outages and other factors.
Road closures affected home delivery services, with Sagawa Express Co. reporting delivery delays and Yamato Transport Co. announcing that the typhoon is "expected to impact delivery times."
Convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co. suspended operations at some of its outlets in Chiba Prefecture after flooding.
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