# Japan's late-June Baiu floods kill at least one and leave five missing as Mekkhala and Higos worsen the seasonal front > Tropical storms Mekkhala and Higos collided with Japan's Baiu stationary rain front in late June 2026, triggering floods and landslides across Kyushu, the Kinki region, and Ishikawa; at least one person died in a Yamaguchi landslide, four were reported missing after a Wajima construction-site mudslide, 16 rivers in Ishikawa breached their banks, and roughly 6,500 homes lost power **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-06-27 · heads: How Life Changes · 6 takes · 5 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary Tropical storms Mekkhala and Higos interacted with Japan's Baiu seasonal rain front in late June 2026, producing extreme rainfall across Kyushu, the Kinki, Tokai, and Hokuriku regions. At least one person, a man in his 70s, died in a landslide that collapsed a house in Yamaguchi prefecture. Five people were reported missing: four workers at a construction site in Wajima, Ishikawa, where a mudslide struck a tunnel-repair operation following the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, and one more in Wajima from flooding. Sixteen rivers in Ishikawa breached their banks by late on June 27. About 6,500 homes lost power across affected prefectures. The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast 250 mm of additional rain for the Tokai region in a single 24-hour window, and 200 mm for Kanto-Koshin. ## The split Japanese media and the JMA emphasised the compound nature of the emergency: Wajima was already deep in earthquake reconstruction, and the flood-triggered landslide at an active construction site added a layer of complexity to search and rescue that standard Baiu response plans do not cover. Overseas disaster-tracking organisations focused on the tropical-storm-to-frontal interaction mechanism, noting that the simultaneous presence of Mekkhala and Higos east and west of the archipelago squeezed exceptional moisture into the Baiu front. Climate scientists who track East Asian monsoon intensification pointed to the pattern as consistent with projections showing increased frequency of extreme rainfall events during the Baiu season under continued warming. ## By the numbers - At least 1 death (Yamaguchi landslide) - 5 missing (4 in Wajima construction site mudslide, 1 in Wajima flooding) - 16 rivers in Ishikawa prefecture breached their banks - About 6,500 homes without power - 250 mm forecast rainfall for Tokai region in 24 hours - 2 tropical storms simultaneously active: Mekkhala and Higos ## Why it matters Japan's [East Asia Monsoon](/en/entity/east-asia-monsoon) Baiu season typically accounts for the country's most destructive flood and landslide events outside of typhoon season. The June 2026 episode illustrates an intensifying pattern where tropical systems that would historically move away from the archipelago are instead merging with or amplifying the stationary Baiu front, producing rainfall extremes above what regional flood infrastructure was designed to handle. Wajima's situation, still rebuilding from the 2024 Noto earthquake and now hit by Baiu flooding, is a case study in compound disaster vulnerability that Japan's disaster management agencies are studying as they revise multi-hazard response plans. ## What to watch - Final confirmed death and missing-person tolls from Wajima and Yamaguchi - Whether the Baiu season continues above-normal through its expected end in mid-July - Progress of Wajima's earthquake reconstruction following the flood damage setback - JMA post-season attribution of the Mekkhala-Higos-Baiu interaction to seasonal climate anomalies ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### International weather and disaster monitoring portal; detailed storm tracking and casualty data across the region - **The Watchers** (International, en) — The Watchers reported on June 27, 2026 that Tropical Storm Mekkhala and Tropical Storm Higos were fuelling torrential rain along Japan's Baiu front, causing floods and landslides. At least three deaths were recorded across Taiwan and Japan combined. In Japan, a man in his 70s died after a landslide caused a house collapse in Yamaguchi prefecture. Four people were missing following a landslide at a construction site in Wajima, Ishikawa, where workers were repairing a tunnel, and one more person was missing due to flooding in the same city. > "Floods kill at least one in Japan as Tropical Storms Mekkhala and Higos amplify Baiu front rainfall, with five missing." Source: https://watchers.news/2026/06/27/floods-kill-3-in-taiwan-and-japan-as-mekkhala-and-higos-fuel-heavy-rain-and-landslides/ ### US network wire; broad coverage of the storm track and damage extent across multiple prefectures - **ABC News** (United States, en) — ABC News reported the impact of the two tropical storms on Japan's Baiu season, noting flooding and landslides across southern Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued rainfall forecasts of up to 250 mm for the Tokai region in a 24-hour period and up to 200 mm for Kanto-Koshin, well above typical Baiu daily accumulations. > "Two tropical storms pound Japan with floods and landslides, killing at least one." Source: https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/tropical-storms-pound-japan-causing-flooding-landslides-134269072 ### US public broadcaster; context on river breaches and infrastructure damage across Ishikawa - **PBS NewsHour** (United States, en) — PBS NewsHour reported that at least 16 rivers in Ishikawa prefecture breached their banks, about 6,500 homes were without power, and emergency services were conducting search operations in Wajima. The report noted that Wajima was already in the process of post-earthquake reconstruction after the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, compounding the flood emergency. > "Heavy rain and landslides leave one dead and several missing in Japan; 16 rivers in Ishikawa breach banks." Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/heavy-rain-landslides-and-floods-in-japan-leave-1-person-dead-and-several-others-missing ### US network wire; covered southern Japan flood conditions and JMA warnings in detail - **NBC News** (United States, en) — NBC News reported on the heavy rain slamming southern Japan and triggering floods and mudslides, with Japan Meteorological Agency alerts covering the Tokai, Kinki, and Kyushu regions. The Baiu front's interaction with two tropical storms was identified as the mechanism producing the extreme accumulations. > "Heavy rain slams southern Japan, triggering floods and mudslides as two tropical storms hit simultaneously." Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/japan/japan-heavy-rain-floods-mudslides-rcna223810 ### unlabelled - **DKKV (German Committee for Disaster Reduction)** (Europe, en) — Source: https://dkkv.org/en/floods-and-landslides-in-japan/ - **Japan Meteorological Agency** (Japan, en) — Source: https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/en_risk/ ## Across the graph - Entities: East Asia Monsoon --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/japan-baiu-floods-june-2026