THE GUARDIAN


 

The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has promised to take action after two homeless men were refused access to a shelter as Typhoon Hagibis barrelled into Tokyo.

The powerful storm hit Japan’s main island on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rainfall that caused more than 200 rivers to overflow, leaving thousands of homes flooded, damaged or without power.

At least 53 people died, according to government figures, but the Kyodo news agency has put the death toll at 69.

The two men had sought refuge at a shelter in Taito, northern Tokyo, but were turned away because the shelters were meant for residents of the ward, a Taito spokesman said.

Abe told parliament the men should have been given refuge. “Shelters are supposed to be set up for the purpose of protecting lives of affected people. It is desirable to accept all affected people in shelters,” he said, adding that he would take measures to prevent similar cases.

Local media said one homeless man had been found dead on Tuesday near a flooded river in another area of the capital. Police suspect he lived near the river and drowned in the floods.

According to the government, about 1,100 people sleep rough in Tokyo, accounting for a quarter of Japan’s homeless population.

On Tuesday, rescue crews were still searching for about 20 people believed to be missing. More than 30,000 people were still in shelters as of late on Monday.

Business appeared to be nearly back to normal in central Tokyo, and residents in areas where flood waters had subsided had started cleaning up, but Nagano, Fukushima and other badly affected areas were still inundated.

Abe said there were concerns about the storm having lasting effects in the worst-hit areas and pledged support for residents. He told parliament the government was funding the disaster response from the 500bn yen (£3.6bn) special reserve from the 2019 budget and could arrange additional funding if required.

In Fukushima, 11 bags containing possibly radioactive soil and debris removed as part of decontamination work after the 2011 nuclear disaster were washed away from two outdoor temporary storage sites and found downstream, the environment ministry said.

The ministry insisted there was no risk because the waterproof bags were intact and had not leaked, but said officials would take preventive measures in future.

A large number of bags are being held at 760 sites across Fukushima. Their transfer to a longer-term storage facility near the plant is expected to be completed by March 2022.