Japan's Disastrous Rain, Mudslides Kill More Than a Hundred

Mayumi Negishi

The Wall Street Journal

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mayumi.negishi@wsj.com

July 9, 2018 2:18 a.m. ET

TOKYO—More than 100 people have died and scores are missing in western Japan as record rainfall in recent days triggered landslides and floods that severed power lines and roads, and brought activity to a halt in parts of a manufacturing region.

Shipments of parts and fresh produce slowed, forcing some car and electronics makers to stop production and prompting stores and restaurants to stay closed Monday.

The death toll has climbed to 109, with 79 people missing and three in critical condition, while more than 267,000 homes were without running water, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Floods, Landslides Kill More Than 100 in Japan

Dozens of people are still missing and hundreds of thousands of homes are without running water; power lines, roads severed and tunnels blocked

Rescue workers looking for missing people in a toppled home in the Hiroshima prefecture town of Kumano on July 9. The death toll has passed 100, with 79 more people missing.

Kyodo/Reuters

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The country’s meteorological agency said rain in some areas had reached record levels. An agency official Friday described the rainfall as something “that we have not experienced before. This is not normal, and will be accompanied by grave danger.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled a trip to Europe and the Middle East to oversee recovery efforts.

The victims included two workers on night shift at engine and transmission-parts maker Hiruta Kogyo Co. The two died after a landslide hit the company’s factory in Kasaoka, Okayama Prefecture, on Saturday, burying them alive along with four co-workers who were rescued. Hiruta supplies Mazda Motor Corp. and Daihatsu Motor Co., as well as auto-parts maker Denso Corp.

Spokesmen for both Mazda and Daihatsu said there was no damage at their own factories, but that the car makers needed to assess damage at suppliers as well as shipment delays. Daihatsu halted production at four factories and will make a decision later in the day about restarting assembly lines Monday night. Mazda halted production at its plants in Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, through Tuesday, citing difficulties among workers to get to work.

Western Japan, which contributes just under half of Japan’s gross domestic product, is home to factories that supply key components such as semiconductors and displays to motors.

Houses damaged by mudslide following heavy rains in Japan’s Hiroshima Prefecture, July 7. Photo: /Associated Press

But companies said they expected the rains to have limited impact on the world’s third-largest economy. They said manufacturers had diversified since the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 that caused production outages of key components and delayed global shipments of Apple Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. products.

“The main issue is just how quickly the roads open,” a Mazda spokesman said.

Fallen trees and sludge are blocking tunnels on the main highways, slowing the flow of goods in mountainous Japan. Delivery services such as Yamato Holdings Co. said they had halted shipments of refrigerated goods throughout the region. Stalled deliveries have prompted convenience store operators such as Lawson Inc., Seven & I Holdings Co. to close dozens of stores.

Facilities damaged by floods include a Panasonic Corp. video-camera factory in Okayama City and sake brewer Asahi Shuzo Co.’s plant in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Panasonic has halted production at the plant, while Asahi Shuzo said it has stopped production of its popular sake brand Dassai sake.

Write to Mayumi Negishi at mayumi.negishi@wsj.com

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