Disaster authorities in Japan reported 2 fatalities, multiple injuries and 4 people missing after heavy rainfall brought by Tropical Storm Mawar from 02 June 2023

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) reported 1,275,254 people were under evacuation orders from 02 June, including 170,832 in Gifu Prefecture; 305,725 in Osaka; 153,638 in Nara; 239,641 in Wakayama; and 107,111 in Tokushima.

Tosashimizu City in Kochi Prefecture recorded 93.0 mm of rain in 1 hour and 358.5 mm in 12 hours on 02 June. Tahara City in Aichi prefecture recorded 341.5 mm of rain in 12 hours on 03 June.

As of 04 June, 2 fatalities were reported. One person died in a vehicle trapped in floods in Toyohashi, Aichi. A second victim died after being swept away by floods in Moka, Tochigi Prefecture. A total of 35 people were injured including 10 in Okinawa and 14 in Kanagawa Prefectures.

Two people were reported missing in Shizuoka Prefecture and two in Wakayama Prefecture. Houses were destroyed in Shizuoka Prefecture (3), Nara Prefecture (1) and Wakayama Prefecture (2). A further 770 houses were damaged across the country.

Previously Mawar skirted the US island territory of Guam in the Western Pacific, where hundreds of people evacuated their homes. The storm then moved towards the northern Philippines and Taiwan before moving on to Japan.

Ttropical Storm Mawar over the Philippines and Taiwain, 30 May 2023. Image: NASA Earth Observatory image by Allison Nussbaum, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview