Japan begins clean-up after Typhoon Jebi kills 11 – Jebi was most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years, had highest winds ever recorded in parts of the country

By Kaori Kaneko
4 September 2018
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan began on Wednesday to clean up after a powerful typhoon killed 11 people, injured hundreds and stranded thousands at a flooded airport, though when the airport in an industrial and tourist hub might reopen was not clear.Typhoon Jebi, or “swallow” in Korean, was briefly a super typhoon and was the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years. It came after months of heavy rain, landslides, floods, and record-breaking heat that killed hundreds of people this summer. […]Winds that in many places gusted to the highest ever recorded in Japan, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, left a swathe of damage, with fruit and vegetables, many about to be harvested, hit especially hard. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was criticized in July 2018 for an initially slow response to devastating floods that month, posted updates on the rescue efforts at Kansai.

Jebi’s course brought it close to parts of western Japan hit by rains and flooding in July that killed more than 200 people, but most of the damage this time appeared to be from the wind. [more]

Japan begins clean-up after typhoon kills 11; major airport closed