Typhoon Dujuan has pushed 1.9 million people to leave their homes around Tokyo, the largest mass evacuation the capital has seen since 2018.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a Level‑3 evacuation warning for 14 prefectures as the storm, with winds exceeding 120 km h⁻¹, moved closer to the eastern seaboard.

The typhoon formed off the coast of the Philippines in early September and has travelled westward, gaining strength over warm sea surface temperatures. By late afternoon, satellite images showed a tight eye and a spiral band of heavy rain encircling the city.

In the suburbs of Kashiwa and Chiba, buses full of residents criss‑cross the highways while the sky turns a bruised purple. The sound of wind knocking against shutters mixes with the distant rumble of engines.

Japanese evacuation bus full of residents in Tokyo suburbs

The JMA said the storm posed an "imminent threat to life" in the most vulnerable districts, prompting the cancellation of nearly 500 domestic flights. Airports across the region have shut down arrivals, and rail services have been curtailed to prevent passenger accidents.

Japan’s evacuation protocol, designed for typhoons that hit the north‑east, is rarely applied at this scale in the capital. Officials have called for residents to move to community shelters and to avoid low‑lying areas that could flood.

Tokyo skyline shrouded in storm clouds

Flood and landslide warnings have been issued for coastal towns and mountainous villages. Meteorologists predict up to 300 mm of rain in some parts of Chiba, a figure that would exceed recent record levels.

The event echoes Typhoon Hagibis in 2018, which caused widespread damage and forced 2.2 million to evacuate, and the 2019 typhoon that battered the Kanto region with 180 mm of rain in a single day.

Climate scientists point to a trend of intensifying typhoons as the Pacific warms, a pattern that could raise the frequency of such mass evacuations in the coming decades.

The JMA will issue a further update on Wednesday, and emergency services are on standby to respond to any sudden flooding or structural failures.

Residents are urged to stay indoors and follow the latest advisories, as the typhoon may intensify before it dissipates over the Sea of Japan.