Latest news with #ChibaPrefecture
NHK
14-07-2025
- Climate
- NHK
Severe Tropical Storm Nari to approach eastern, northern Japan, landfall feared
Japanese weather officials say a severe tropical storm is forecast to approach eastern and northern Japan and could make landfall sometime between Monday and Tuesday. The Japan Meteorological Agency says Severe Tropical Storm Nari is traveling north at 35 kilometers per hour as of 10 a.m. over waters 170 kilometers south-southeast of Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture. It has a central atmospheric pressure of 985 hectopascals and is packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour near its center, with gusts of up to 126 kilometers per hour. Strong winds of over 54 kilometers per hour are blowing within 440 kilometers on its eastern side and 220 kilometers on its western side. The officials say waves are high in the Ogasawara Islands, located south of central Tokyo. They say the severe tropical storm is expected to move north as it develops and likely pass east of the Kanto region by Monday night before moving off the coast of Sanriku. The officials say it will then travel to the Hokkaido region, in northern Japan on Tuesday and turn into an extratropical low pressure system. The weather officials warn that, on Tuesday, the severe tropical storm will approach the Pacific side of eastern and northern Japan and is expected to make landfall. They say they expect strong winds to blow in northern Japan. On Monday, winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour are expected in the Tohoku and Kanto regions, and 64.8 kilometers per hour in the Izu Islands, with maximum gusts reaching an hourly speed of 126 kilometers in the Tohoku and Kanto, and 90 kilometers in the Izu Islands. Meanwhile, the meteorological agency says rainclouds have been developing mainly over western Japan, due partly to the impact of a tropical depression near Kyushu. The agency warns that bands of heavy rain clouds are expected to form especially in the Tokai region from Monday night through Tuesday before noon. It says the danger of water-triggered disasters could rapidly increase, and is urging caution for flooding in low-lying areas and landslides. The agency says warm and moist air is flowing into the tropical depression west of Kyushu and a low pressure system over the Tsushima Strait, and rainclouds are forming in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions. In the hour through 8 a.m. on Monday, extremely heavy rain of 52 millimeters fell in the town of Ino in Kochi Prefecture, and 32 millimeters in Tamana City in Kumamoto Prefecture. The agency says the tropical depression is expected to gradually weaken, and the low pressure system is forecast to travel north over the Sea of Japan. It says that atmospheric conditions are expected to become extremely unstable by Wednesday in western and eastern Japan. It says extremely heavy rain is expected with localized downpours including thunder and lightning. The amount of rain expected in the 24 hours through Tuesday morning is up to 200 millimeters in the Tokai and Shikoku regions, 180 millimeters in the Kinki region, 80 millimeters in the Chugoku and southern Kyushu regions. In the 24 hours through Wednesday morning, up to 150 millimeters are forecast in the Tokai region. In the following 24 hours through Thursday morning, 200 millimeters are likely in the Tokai region. The agency is urging caution for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers. It also calls on people to be on the alert for lightning and gusts, including tornado, and hails. The agency warns that the weather situation could deteriorate during the night.
Japan Times
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
Tropical Storm Nari moves northward, with possible landfall Tuesday
Tropical storm Nari, located southeast of Tokyo in the Pacific, is intensifying as it moves northward, with landfall possible in northeastern or northern Japan on Tuesday, bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and dangerous sea conditions, the Meteorological Agency said Monday. The agency is warning residents to remain on alert for high winds, heavy rain, high waves and the risk of landslides and flooding in low-lying areas. River levels may rise rapidly, and there is a risk of lightning strikes and sudden gusts. As of 10 a.m. Monday, Nari, or taifū no. 5, as it is known in Japanese, was located roughly 180 kilometers southeast of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, in the Pacific, traveling north at a speed of 35 kph. The storm had a central pressure of 985 hectopascals, with sustained winds near the center measuring 90 kph and peak gusts reaching 126 kph. Winds stronger than 54 kph were reported within a radius of up to 500 km from the storm's center. The storm is forecast to pass around 140 km southeast of the city of Ishinomaki, in Miyagi Prefecture, by 6 p.m. Monday. Sustained winds are forecast to intensify to 108 kph, with gusts peaking at 144 kph. Storm-force winds — those exceeding 90 kph — may extend as far as 185 kilometers to the east and 110 kilometers to the west of the center. By 6 a.m. Tuesday, Nari is projected to reach an area approximately 80 km west of the city of Abashiri in Hokkaido. At that stage, it is expected to weaken somewhat, with its central pressure rising to 998 hectopascals. Sustained winds will likely decrease to 65 kph, with gusts topping out around 90 kph. The storm is forecast to transition into a tropical cyclone over the Sea of Okhotsk after passing over northern Japan. Strong winds are expected to impact eastern Japan throughout Monday, extending into Tuesday in the north. In the Kanto and Tohoku regions, maximum sustained winds on Monday could reach 90 kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph. The Izu Islands are forecast to see winds of up to 65 kph, with gusts reaching 90 kph. On Tuesday, Hokkaido is expected to experience sustained winds of 83 kph and gusts up to 126 kph, while winds in Tohoku may reach 72 kph with peak gusts of 90 kph. Rainfall is expected to be significant, with the possibility of thunderstorms and heavy downpours. In the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. Tuesday, rainfall totals could reach 120 millimeters in the Kanto-Koshin and Tohoku regions, as well as on the Ogasawara Islands, while Hokkaido may receive up to 100 mm. Between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday, rainfall may total up to 150 mm in Kanto-Koshin and 80 mm in Hokkaido. Rough seas are forecast to accompany the storm, particularly along the Pacific coast. On Monday, waves could reach up to 7 meters in Tohoku, 6 meters in the Kanto region, and 4 meters around the Izu and Ogasawara islands. By Tuesday, wave heights are expected to remain at 7 meters in both Hokkaido and Tohoku, decrease slightly to 5 meters in Kanto and the Izu Islands, and remain at 4 meters near the Ogasawara Islands.
Japan Times
10-06-2025
- Japan Times
Dart-out cases common among schoolchildren's traffic accidents in Japan
Cases of children running out into the street accounted for more than 30% of serious traffic accidents that killed or severely injured elementary school children in Japan, a government report showed Monday. Of the 1,830 children who got into such accidents between 2020 and 2024, 613, or 33.5%, ran out into the street, according to the 2025 traffic safety white paper, adopted at the day's Cabinet meeting. The report called for promoting lectures for parents and experience-based traffic safety education to prevent accidents. According to the report, over 60% of serious accidents that killed or severely injured elementary school kids involved law violations. Dart-out cases were followed by road-crossing violations, which accounted for 16.9%. Ignoring traffic lights came next at 3.2%, and playing on the street stood at 3.1%. In contrast, about 60% of serious accidents involving 38,480 individuals across all age groups did not involve law violations. The government implemented emergency measures following a fatal drunken driving accident in which a truck crashed into a group of elementary school children in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, in June 2021. The white paper stated that 76,404 locations across Japan have fully or nearly completed safety measures, such as building sidewalks. The central and local governments, police and schools will conduct joint inspections to enhance safety, the report added. It also said that special areas called Zone 30, where vehicle speeds are limited to 30 kilometers per hour, had been established in 4,410 areas nationwide by the end of fiscal 2024.
NHK
25-05-2025
- Business
- NHK
Narita Airport begins full-scale work on expansion, including third runway
A ceremony has been held at Narita Airport, near Tokyo, to mark the start of full-scale construction work to extend one of the current runways and build a third one. Seventy people, including transport ministry officials and the governor of Chiba Prefecture, attended Sunday's event held by Narita International Airport Corporation. The company plans to extend the 2,500-meter-long B Runway to 3,500 meters, and to build a new 3,500-meter C Runway to raise the number of takeoffs and landings to 500,000 per year -- about 1.7 times the current level. It aims to complete the project by the end of March 2029. The preparatory work that has already been carried out includes the construction of an underground tunnel for the roads on the site. Full-scale construction, including ground improvement work and landscaping, has begun at the site where the third runway will be built. The head of Narita International Airport Corporation, Tamura Akihiko, said he believes the expansion will create a new future for the area and that his firm will carry out the work safely and smoothly with the local community's understanding. The company says it has already secured 900 of the approximately 1,100 hectares of land needed for the project, and is working with local municipalities to acquire more.
