Latest news with #JRKyushu
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Climate
- Asahi Shimbun
Photo of Kyushu Shinkansen in line on elevated track goes viral
Kyushu Shinkansen trains are lined up on an elevated track to avoid flooding in Kumamoto on Aug. 11. (Provided by a male company employee) A photo of several Kyushu Shinkansen trains lined up on elevated track in an early morning 'evacuation operation' during a heavy rain alert went viral on social media. Precautionary steps were taken in Kumamoto Prefecture after the special heavy rain warning was issued on Aug. 11, reflecting lessons gained from a typhoon six years ago that submerged 10 Hokuriku Shinkansen trains. The photo was taken from a hotel room in front of JR Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto's Nishi Ward by a 30-year-old company employee on a trip. Multiple trains were lined up at nearly equal intervals on the elevated tracks against a background of apartment complexes and other buildings. The man took the photo through the window of his hotel room early on Aug. 11 after noticing that the bullet trains had stopped. He posted the image on X with the comment, 'Wow, what a long line.' By the morning of Aug. 13, the post had been viewed more than 10 million times. The record rainfall raised fears of flooding. Around 3 a.m. on Aug. 11, Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu) began moving 13 trains from the Kumamoto rolling stock depot in Minami Ward to the elevated tracks, using the approximately 10-kilometer stretch to Kumamoto Station for their placement. JR Kyushu began returning the trains to the depot in the afternoon. The train depot is in an area where the flood depth was estimated to be 0.5 to 3.0 meters on hazard maps, which could have left the trains submerged. The decision to move the bullet trains was in response to events in October 2019 when 10 Hokuriku Shinkansen trains were submerged due to Typhoon No. 19. At that time, the Nagano Shinkansen train depot of East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) was flooded due to the overflow of the Chikumagawa river. JR Kyushu has guidelines for such contingencies and conducts training once a year. This was the first real-time evacuation. None of the trains were damaged.
The Mainichi
11-08-2025
- Climate
- The Mainichi
1 feared dead, others missing as heavy rain hits southwestern Japan
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- At least one person is feared dead and others are missing in southwestern Japan on Monday as torrential rains batter the region, triggering floods and landslides, according to local authorities and rescuers. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special heavy rain warning for parts of Kumamoto Prefecture but downgraded it to a heavy rain warning in the afternoon, while still urging residents in the affected areas to remain alert. A man, who was evacuating with his family, went missing after their car was swept away by a landslide in Kosa, Kumamoto Prefecture. The mother and two children were rescued, while local police said they are confirming the identity of a man who was later found nearby with no vital signs. There were also reports of people being swept away and landslides washing away houses and cars in the prefecture and neighboring Fukuoka Prefecture. A man in his 60s was rescued from a collapsed house in Misato, Kumamoto, and taken to the hospital, according to local firefighters. In Fukutsu, Fukuoka, two people in their 60s were swept away by a river on Sunday afternoon, and rescue operations are ongoing, according to local authorities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Monday morning his government is "committed to implementing disaster response measures," while urging residents to remain vigilant. JR Kyushu, which serves southwestern Japan, said it suspended all bullet train services from the start of operations in the morning but resumed them in the afternoon. The weather agency has been warning of extreme rainfall in Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures as a rainband stretching across the Japanese archipelago has inundated wide areas of the country. Tamana in Kumamoto recorded 370 millimeters of rainfall in six hours through early Monday, nearly double the city's average precipitation for all of August, according to the weather agency.
Japan Today
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Japan Today
Several people missing in southwestern Japan as heavy rain continues
Several people remain unaccounted for in southwestern Japan on Monday as ongoing heavy rain triggered dangerous landslides, according to local authorities and rescuers. A man who was evacuating with his family went missing after their car was swept away by a landslide in the town of Kosa, Kumamoto Prefecture. Three others in the vehicle were rescued. There were other reports of landslides washing away houses and cars in the prefecture. A rescue operation is underway in the town of Misato for a resident trapped in a collapsed house. In the neighboring prefecture of Fukuoka, two people were feared washed away in a river in Fukutsu on Sunday evening, according to local authorities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Monday morning his government is "committed to implementing disaster response measures," while urging residents to remain vigilant. The weather agency has been warning of extreme rainfall in Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures as a rainband stretching across the Japanese archipelago has inundated wide areas of the country. Tamana in Kumamoto recorded 370 millimeters of rainfall in six hours through early Monday, nearly double the city's average precipitation for all of August, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. JR Kyushu, which serves southwestern Japan, said it is suspending all bullet train services through Monday. © KYODO
Kyodo News
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Kyodo News
Several people missing in southwestern Japan as heavy rain continues
FUKUOKA - Several people remain unaccounted for in southwestern Japan on Monday as ongoing heavy rain triggered dangerous landslides, according to local authorities and rescuers. A man who was evacuating with his family went missing after their car was swept away by a landslide in the town of Kosa, Kumamoto Prefecture. Three others in the vehicle were rescued. There were other reports of landslides washing away houses and cars in the prefecture. A rescue operation is underway in the town of Misato for a resident trapped in a collapsed house. In the neighboring prefecture of Fukuoka, two people were feared washed away in a river in Fukutsu on Sunday evening, according to local authorities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Monday morning his government is "committed to implementing disaster response measures," while urging residents to remain vigilant. The weather agency has been warning of extreme rainfall in Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures as a rainband stretching across the Japanese archipelago has inundated wide areas of the country. Tamana in Kumamoto recorded 370 millimeters of rainfall in six hours through early Monday, nearly double the city's average precipitation for all of August, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. JR Kyushu, which serves southwestern Japan, said it is suspending all bullet train services through Monday.
