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Record Rainfall Prompts Highest Landslide Alert on Japan's Niijima Island

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Record Rainfall Prompts Highest Landslide Alert on Japan's Niijima Island
Photo: An aerial view of a landslide blocking the Chiba-Togane Road in Togane, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on August 14, 2026. / Reuters Archive

Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its highest-level landslide warning, a Level 5 emergency alert, for Niijima Island on Monday as heavy rains battered the region, according to state media reports. The warning came after the island recorded an unprecedented 381 millimetres (15 inches) of rainfall within a 24-hour period ending Monday, state broadcaster NHK reported. Niijima, a volcanic island, sits approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Tokyo. The severe weather also affected eastern Japan starting early Monday, leading the JMA to issue Level 4 landslide warnings for portions of Chiba and Saitama prefectures, which border Tokyo, as well as for central Fukushima prefecture. Meteorologists cautioned that additional rainfall is expected across broad areas along the Pacific coast, as warm, moist air moves toward a rain front extending along Honshu, Japan's main island. Officials called on residents in the affected regions to stay vigilant for landslides and other potential hazards.

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