Eight dead and 230,000 evacuated as flooding hits Japan

• At least eight people have died following record rainfall and severe flooding in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo.
• Parts of Chiba recorded over 360mm of rain in 24 hours, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue its highest heavy rainfall warning.
• Transport networks were severely disrupted, leaving around 7,000 travellers stranded overnight at Narita international airport before services began resuming on Friday.
• Nearly 230,000 residents were advised to evacuate as floodwaters inundated more than 80 homes and caused widespread power outages across the region.
• Japanese military personnel were deployed to assist with disaster response operations following what officials described as an unprecedented weather event.

IN FULL

Record rain kills at least eight people in Japan and strands thousands at Tokyo airport