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News Brief: Devastating Flooding Hits Japan

Andy Breaking News , ,

While we’re gearing back up for sumo, I do want to point out that parts of Japan are being hit hard by heavy rains and flooding. More than 50 people have died in flooding and landslides. The rains have crippled parts of the island of Kyushu, particularly Oita and Kumamoto prefectures, as well as the mountainous prefecture of Gunma, just outside Tokyo.

Many wrestlers, like the young recruit Taiyo (大海), hail from Kumamoto. Our favorite wrestlers have been hit hard by the coronavirus shutdown and while they’ve been relieved of the long touring duties of Jungyo, that also means they’ve not been able to make their usual visits to their home prefectures. More rain is expected around Tokyo and Kumamoto. The Weather Channel expects rain into the weekend from this front with 10 inches of further accumulation possible.

Record Rainfall in Western Japan, 65 Dead and Many Missing

Andy Japanese Society, NHK ,

A flooding disaster is unfolding across Western Japan. Evacuation orders are affecting over 1 Million people. Fatalities have been reported across Kyushu and Shikoku with more rain expected in Gifu, Shimane, and Ehime. Several cities have seen more than a month’s worth of rain in a few hours. The NHK is reporting, “The city of Uwajima in Ehime Prefecture saw about 364 millimeters of rain between and 5 and 7 AM. That’s about 1.5 times the average monthly rainfall for July.” That’s more than 14 inches of rain in two hours.

When evacuating, please be extremely careful, especially if flood waters mean you cannot see the ground in front of you. Sometimes manhole covers or parts of the road will get washed away. For any of our readers in Japan, stay safe. Also, many of those in Nagoya now come from areas affected by the floods and have loved ones there.

Meanwhile, dude rolls up in a jetski to help save people.

The Asia bureaus of Western media outlets are stretched to their breaking points as they simultaneously cover American Secretary of State’s visit to Tokyo and the rescue effort to save the Thai soccer team; no one is left to cover the catastrophic flooding which has ravaged Western Japan. And apparently the home offices are glued to the breathless reporting of current efforts to extract the team so no one is left to update their websites with information about this story.