As the nation struggled to deal with the massive devastation and loss of life caused by the catastrophic typhoon over the weekend, many were also cheering the dramatic 28-21 victory of Japan’s rugby team over Scotland to reach the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup.

After Typhoon Hagibis, the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in decades, brought record-breaking rainfall to half of the country’s prefectures, the full scale of damage caused by flooding and high winds remains unclear.

According to a report in The Japan Times, the embankments or levees of 47 rivers were breached, there were 146 mudslides reported, and thousands of homes were hit by muddy flood-water and electricity and water outages throughout the country.

On Sunday evening, attention was also focused on Japan’s success in the Rugby World Cup. The Brave Blossoms, Japan’s national rugby team, qualified for the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals for the first time and will face South Africa’s Springboks, one of the world’s best teams, in the quarterfinals this coming Sunday.

While the popularity of rugby in Japan trails well behind that of other sports, the nation is celebrating the Brave Blossoms spectacular performance.

Despite a recent 41-7 loss to the Springboks in the run-up to this World Cup, the support of Japanese fans remains enthusiastic and hopeful that the so-called “Brighton Miracle,” when the Japanese team beat the Springboks 34-32 at the 2015 World Cup, could be repeated. Stay tuned!

In the aftermath of the largest typhoon to hit Japan in decades, videos and photographs on TV of the damage caused by the massive storm evoke memories of the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami.

Typhoon Hagibis tore through Japan’s main island of Honshu on Saturday and early Sunday with unprecedented high winds of up to 144 kph and torrential rainfall that left much devastation in its path.  The storm caused the flooding of rivers that submerged whole cities killing 35 people with 17 unaccounted for and left hundreds more injured.

In our location, the roaring winds, which shook building walls and windows, along with the heavy rains made for a very scary evening.  Fortunately, we are a fair distance from one of the two major rivers that transect Adachi, have underground power lines, and experienced no major damage in our immediate area.

It is clear that government actions taken in advance of and during the storm helped to minimize property damage and loss of life. As Hagibis approached, authorities urged citizens “to take whatever actions necessary to increase your chances of survival.”

• Public transportation operators announced plans to suspend services in an attempt to prevent chaos at transportation hubs.
• Businesses announced plans to significantly curtail hours or close on Saturday.
• Sports, entertainment and other events were cancelled.
• Residents stocked up on water, food and other supplies, leaving many supermarket shelves empty.
• Many residents in high threat areas heeded early evacuation orders and encamped in local schools established as evacuation centers.

On Saturday, Tokyo was a virtual “ghost town.”

Although I had previously experienced a major typhoon while resident in Hong Kong, the extreme scope of this storm was shocking.

In speaking with family and friends, I discovered that Hagibis was a rude awakening for many in Tokyo.  In the past, Tokyo was spared the impact of such natural disasters, especially to heavy rain, that are more common in southern Japan where typhoons hit on a regular basis.  The experience has prompted concerns that with evident climate change there may be more similar storms in the future.

A rare site in Tokyo.  Supermarket shelves were empty last night by 7pm.  Keiko and I went out this afternoon to the local 7-11 for ice coffees.  We were the last customers as the store was closing at 1pm.  There was no food or drinks left in the store!

As of 3:30pm JST we are now under special emergency warnings including evacuation advisory conditions.  Wind speeds and rain amounts are unprecedented with the imminent danger of landslides and flooding throughout Tokyo.  However, the worst of the storm will not be evident until about 9pm through midnight.

Two large rivers flow through Adachi.  Our location should not be impacted but it will be a long night of watching.  Fortunately, we have not lost power.

Typhoon Hagibis, a dangerous storm on par with a Category 5 hurricane, is approaching Japan’s main island of Honshu after a rapid and explosive intensification in the Pacific according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.  Landfall is forecasted for this weekend and could make a direct pass over Tokyo.

However, its large size means that even without a direct hit, Tokyo and surrounding areas could still be significantly impacted with heavy rain, very strong winds, high waves and storm surge.  As of Wednesday afternoon, the Meteorological Agency described the storm as “violent” — its highest classification — adding that the storm had sustained winds of 198 kph.

I had earlier registered my Japan residency with the U.S. Tokyo Embassy and was pleased to receive an e-mail weather alert with advisory actions to take this weekend.

Also very helpful was information that the Japan Meteorological Service’s typhoon tracking information could be found in English at webpage:  http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/ and is also available from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at http://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html.

In visiting the Meteorological site I discovered that it also includes information on other weather and environmental related events as well as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

One of the questions I am frequently asked by friends in the United States is about the perception of Trump in Japan.

The following article from The Japan Times is a typical example of the commentary on Trump relative to Japan’s complex relationship with the United States.

Trump wishes Abe ‘a very happy birthday’ — on day of Putin’s birth

By Jesse Johnson [The Japan Times – October 8, 2019]

U.S. President Donald Trump wished Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his golf buddy and close ally, a “very happy birthday” on Monday, at the start of a formal signing ceremony for his country’s recently reached trade deal with Japan.

But there was just one problem — Abe’s birthday is on Sept. 21.

Rather, Monday was the birthday of another leader often associated with Trump: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I want to start by wishing my very good friend, Prime Minister Abe of Japan, a very happy birthday. He’s 39 years old today,” Trump said to laughter, mispronouncing, as he often does, the Japanese leader’s name as “abby.”

Abe turned 65 late last month, and it was clear that Trump’s reference to his age was a joke. But it was not clear why he had wished Abe a happy birthday on Monday of all days, though the mercurial U.S. leader is infamous for his often jarring syntax, verbal flubs and even blatant lies.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Putin, who turned 67 on Monday, spent the weekend in southern Siberia’s mountains.

The U.S. intelligence community has repeatedly said that the Russian government — on the explicit orders of Putin — interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with the goal of harming the campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the candidacy of Trump and increasing political and social discord in the United States.

Trump has denied this was the case.

When it comes to Abe, who is widely said to have the closest personal ties with Trump among all foreign leaders, the American president has had a fair number of instances where he appeared to embarrass the prime minister or leave him dumbfounded.

These have included Trump’s revelation that he had, in private, pushed Abe to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, and also referred to the prime minister as “president” of Japan.

Ultimately, though, the pair’s relationship has survived dire straits more menacing than mere gaffes and unfortunate disclosures, including the bilateral trade deal, which was viewed by some observers as the price Abe paid for keeping in Trump’s good graces.

Indeed, speaking Monday about Abe, the U.S. leader had nothing but praise, calling him “a very special man.”

“He’s a great gentleman and we have had tremendous success,” Trump said.