Record rainfall turned Japan's busy Obon holiday travel rush into chaos on Friday, killing at least four people in Chiba Prefecture and leaving around 7,000 travelers stranded overnight at Tokyo's Narita International Airport after floods severed road and rail links.
Record Rain Swamps Chiba During Holiday Rush
More than 360 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of Chiba, Reuters reported on Friday. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded an unprecedented 11.5 centimeters in one hour in Chiba City and 9.7 centimeters in Sakura, while nearly 230,000 residents were advised to seek shelter.
"This case was an extremely unusual situation," Chiba Gov. Toshihito Kumagai said. "I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this."
Officials confirmed four deaths, including people found in flooded vehicles, while another person remained missing. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force deployed personnel and buses, including assistance for roughly 4,000 people stranded overnight at Soga Station.
Reuters said more than 22,000 households still lacked power Friday morning, while outages had peaked at about 68,000.
Narita Travelers Face Overnight Transport Chaos
At Narita, airport workers distributed blankets, water and snacks as passengers slept across terminal floors. Flights were expected to operate normally Friday, though Japan Airlines (OTC: JAPSY) (OTC: JPNRF) warned of possible delays. Rail service to Tokyo partially resumed while highway closures continued to snarl road access.
United Uses Narita As Key Asia Gateway
Narita, previously featured in roundups of top global airports, is not an officially designated corporate hub for any major U.S. airline. United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL), however, uses NRT as a major international connecting point. United's formal hub list omits Narita, but the carrier operates transpacific service there and fifth-freedom routes to Cebu, Kaohsiung, Ulaanbaatar, and Pacific destinations.
Benzinga reached out to United Airlines for comment but has yet to hear back.
United has kept expanding that footprint. Its network material highlights Narita as a gateway to Tokyo and Asia, while earlier reports also noted a United 737 operating from Narita to Cebu following an emergency diversion in Japan last year.
United also coordinates transpacific service with joint-venture partner All Nippon Airways (OTC: ALNPY). ANA says the partnership lets both carriers align fares and effectively broaden their networks across the Pacific.
"We are never going to forget this trip," one American traveler told NHK.