Over 10,000 homes remain without power in eastern Japan after Typhoon Dujuan

CHIBA PREFECTURE, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

More than 10,000 households in Chiba Prefecture remained without electricity on Friday, September 25, after Typhoon Dujuan unleashed record rainfall across eastern Japan earlier in the week, Kyodo News reported.

The power loss comes amid a broader cascade of infrastructure failures. In Chiba, about 2,700 households were also without running water as of noon on Thursday, September 24, according to prefectural authorities. Dozens of homes in neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture faced similar electricity disruptions, the utility said. Flooding from breached levees at Lake Imbanuma in northern Chiba further compounded the crisis, inundating residential areas and rice paddies across an extensive zone.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced on September 25 that it would coordinate emergency repairs and drainage operations to bring the lake’s water level back to normal within a week. The lake stood at roughly three metres at 7 a.m. on September 25, above its usual level of 2.3 metres. MLIT plans to deploy drainage pumps to lower the water by the following day, September 26, at the earliest.

Minister Tatsunori Ibayashi told a press conference that the ministry would work with Chiba Prefecture and the Japan Water Agency on the recovery effort, pledging to “do everything we can”.

The human toll of the storm is stark. Eleven people have been confirmed dead – seven in Chiba Prefecture and four in Kanagawa – and three remain missing, according to the latest figures from Kyodo News. The death toll rose to nine on Wednesday, with the remaining two fatalities reported on Thursday, the agency said.

Residents describe daily life as a struggle for basic services. Shoji Sakuma, 63, who runs a small business in Ichihara – the city in Chiba where the power outage has affected the most households – said his home has been without electricity since the evening of September 21. “It’s hot and I can’t use the air‑conditioner, so I plan to sleep in my car,” he told reporters.

Sakuma’s rooftop solar panels generate a limited amount of electricity, but the output is insufficient to run essential appliances. His home also lacks a running water supply, and he said it remains unclear when either service will be restored.

In Kimitsu, where water outages continue across a wide area, 32‑year‑old Ayumi Kono carries about 60 litres of water home from a distribution point each day. Kono has resorted to using paper plates and disposable chopsticks to conserve water, but she said the biggest challenge is “the toilet”. She added that the lack of water has forced her family to adjust daily routines, including limiting bathing and cooking.

The disruption to power and water supplies has broader economic implications for the region. Chiba Prefecture, which borders Tokyo, hosts a mix of industrial parks, logistics hubs and residential communities that support the capital’s economy. Prolonged outages can hamper manufacturing output, delay shipments and increase operating costs for businesses that rely on stable electricity. The loss of running water also affects food preparation, sanitation and health services, raising concerns about secondary public‑health impacts.

Infrastructure damage extends beyond the immediate utility network. Landslides triggered by the typhoon have blocked major thoroughfares, hindering the movement of repair crews, emergency responders and commercial traffic. Fallen trees have obstructed secondary roads that connect rural villages to larger market centres, limiting residents’ ability to access supplies and medical care.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s plan to clear debris and restore road access is therefore a critical component of the overall recovery strategy.

The Ministry’s drainage plan for Lake Imbanuma is part of a wider effort to mitigate the risk of further flooding as another typhoon approaches the region later this week. Officials said the pumps will operate continuously until the water level reaches the target of 2.3 metres, after which they will monitor the situation for any resurgence.

The coordinated response involves MLIT, Chiba Prefecture, the Japan Water Agency and local fire and police departments, all of which have been mobilised to support evacuation, water distribution and shelter operations.

TEPCO’s assessment indicates that some of the most severely affected areas may require weeks of work before full power restoration is achieved. The utility has not provided a precise timetable for each district, but it emphasized that crews are prioritising critical facilities such as hospitals, water‑treatment plants and major industrial customers. In the meantime, temporary generators have been deployed to power essential services in the hardest‑hit zones.

The ongoing crisis shows the vulnerability of Japan’s densely populated coastal regions to extreme weather events intensified by climate change. While the government has not issued new policy statements in this report, the scale of the disruption may prompt a review of flood‑control infrastructure, levee reinforcement and emergency‑response protocols in the coming months.

As of the latest update, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism remains focused on completing emergency repairs and draining the inundated areas within the targeted one‑week window, while TEPCO continues to work on restoring electricity to the more than 10,000 households still in the dark.

The next steps will hinge on the clearance of blocked roads, the successful operation of drainage pumps at Lake Imbanuma and the availability of repair crews as another typhoon looms on the horizon.

Related: TEPCO Power Grid Inc. · Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism · Tatsunori Ibayashi · Chiba Prefecture