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WNAM REPORT: Torrential rain pounded central Japan on Tuesday, prompting an emergency flood warning for a major river in the region, as roads, railway tracks and other infrastructure were inundated, and local authorities urged residents in some areas to immediately seek safety.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest flood warning, Level 5, for the Shonai River, which flows through Gifu and Aichi prefectures. About 104 millimeters of rain fell in an hour in Nagoya under the influence of an autumn rain front.
The city government called on residents in parts of Chikusa, Moriyama and Meito wards to take immediate action to ensure their safety.
Four people sustained minor injuries, the Aichi prefectural government said, while around 2,700 people took refuge at evacuation shelters.
Rainwater was found leaking into multiple Asian Games venues in the city ahead of the Sept. 19 opening.
Subway services operated by the city were temporarily halted, affecting many commuters. JR Chuo Line railway tracks were flooded, and streets in the bustling Sakae district were covered in ankle-deep water at one point.
Toyota Motor Corp. is headquartered in Aichi Prefecture, which includes Nagoya.
“We may have to stay at a hotel tonight,” said a woman in her 50s from Gifu while standing in a long line to catch a taxi. She was visiting Nagoya with her ninth-grade daughter to tour a high school.
In addition to local train services, Tokyo-bound Tokaido Shinkansen Line bullet trains were temporarily halted between Okayama and Tokyo stations, while outbound trains between Tokyo and Nagoya were also suspended, according to JR Central.
Trains on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line were also partially suspended due to the rain, according to JR West.
Both Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen services resumed at around 5:15 p.m., the operators said.
The weather agency said linear rainbands, which can bring heavy rain over the same area for several hours, formed in parts of Aichi and Gifu, calling on the public to be alert to the risk of landslides and flooding as heavy rain is expected from western to northeastern Japan.
Such rainbands may form in other prefectures, including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, as well as Osaka and Hyogo in western Japan, through Wednesday, the agency warned.
