Five dead near Tokyo after heavy rains and floods - with thousands stranded at railway station

Five people have died after heavy rain and flooding in Japan, with thousands more left stranded.

One person has been reported missing, with victims including a man found floating in a flooded road in Ichikawa City and a woman who had been stuck in a flooded car in Sakura City.

Two people were also presumed dead after being pulled from flooded cars in Kashiwa city and in Chiba.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), a record-breaking rainfall of 11.5cm (4.5 inches) fell in just one hour in Chiba City, around 24 miles east of Tokyo.

It added that 9.7cm (3.8 inches) fell in one hour in Sakura.

While the weather agency said the worst of the rain had subsided on Friday morning, more rain was forecast for later in the day.

Pictures showed several areas under water after the torrential downpours, with the tracks of JR Oami Station submerged.

Thousands stranded at Soga station and Narita airport

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force said it dispatched buses to pick up about 4,000 stranded people who stayed overnight at the Soga railway station, a local route which also serves Tokyo Disneyland. The theme park has not suffered any damage.

Thousands of people were stuck overnight at the Narita airport, which serves the Tokyo region, with trains out of the area stopped.

Services partially resumed on Friday morning, albeit with delays, while flights in and out of Narita were operating normally.

The disruption comes as many people return home at the end of Japan's Bon Buddhist holiday week, and follows tropical storm Chan-hom passing over the country's main Honshu island on Tuesday, sweeping Tokyo and its surroundings.

At least seven people suffered minor injuries because of the storm, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

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It also comes just weeks after at least 39 people were killed in the Kumamoto region after a 6.8 magnitude quake hit at the end of July.

The country's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, twice described rescue efforts as a "race against time" to reach people still trapped beneath the debris.

(c) Sky News 2026: Five dead near Tokyo after heavy rains and floods - with thousands stranded at railway station