As Herouth noted below, Mitakeumi donated prize money from the last tournament to victims of the devastating typhoon which hit central Japan earlier this month.

The latest figures put the death toll above 80 people with a further 400 injured, of which three died in Nagano and 110 more were injured there.

Unfortunately, another typhoon is setting up to hit Japan again. This article from the Washington Post cites the more mountainous regions as being likely to pick up more rainfall, particularly the Akaishi and Kiso mountains, which are partially in Nagano. Nagano’s mountains are a popular ski destination in the Winter, and hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. This terrain catches the moisture and many people are injured or killed during rock and mudslides.