Heavy rains also disrupted traffic on roads and railway lines.
On Thursday evening, heavy rains caused landslide hazards and power supply disruptions, and meteorologists issued the highest level warning for rains in the Chiba region for the first time.
In rural areas of the Chiba region, more than ten cars were left on flooded roads, reported AFP news agency journalist.
At Narita Airport, passengers slept in sleeping bags throughout the terminal, and huge queues formed at check-in counters.
A passenger from the United Kingdom (UK), introducing himself as Philip, told AFP that the journey took nine hours, including taxi rides, before he finally arrived at the airport early Friday.
With a sleeping bag in hand, he said he was “just trying to sleep and watching Netflix.”
“You just have to accept it, really. There’s nothing you can do,” he said.
At a crisis management meeting convened in Chiba on Friday afternoon, an official reported five confirmed deaths.
Earlier, the prefecture announced that among the deceased were a man aged 60–80 found floating on a flooded road, and a 66-year-old woman trapped in a submerged car.
Among other victims were a man of unknown age found collapsed on the street, and a person whose gender and age were not determined.
National broadcaster NHK reported that as many as eight people may have died.
Meanwhile, nearly 26,000 households across Chiba Prefecture were left without electricity, said the crisis management office.
More than 80 homes were flooded in the cities of Ichikawa, Kashiwa, and Sakura. Additionally, water seeped under the floors of nearly 90 homes.
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“I never thought I would have to spend the night at the airport, but it is what it is, we are learning,” one stranded passenger told NHK.
“We will never forget this trip,” he added.
Cancelled trains
A representative of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said at a press conference on Thursday that an “unprecedented level of heavy rain” was forming.
About 6,000 people spent the night at Narita Airport – one of Tokyo’s two main airports. Many trains were cancelled until Friday afternoon, reported the Chiba crisis management office.
Social media users said airport staff were distributing free water, food, and sleeping bags.
Due to the halted train traffic, hundreds of people were stranded at Chiba Station, reported AFP journalist.
Hundreds of people spent the night in shelters in Chiba, NHK reported, showing cars flooded up to the headlights in Kashiwa city.
“It happened suddenly, so it was a complete surprise. There is no electricity, so I am worried whether I will be able to open my business in the coming days,” a resident of Ichikawa told NHK on Thursday.
On Friday morning, all level 5 rain warnings were downgraded to level 4.
Scientists say that due to human-caused climate change, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, longer, and more intense.
