Most Taiwan tourists unaffected by torrential rain in Japan's Chiba

Taipei, Aug. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Tourism Administration said Friday it had received no reports of Taiwanese tour groups being affected after torrential rain in Japan's Chiba Prefecture caused widespread flooding and major transportation disruptions the previous day.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said warm, humid air and high surface temperatures had led to "training storms" in Chiba Prefecture, with repeated bands of heavy rain passing over the same areas within a short period.

As of 1:40 a.m. Friday (local time), Chiba Prefecture had recorded more than 348 millimeters of rain over a 12-hour period, roughly three times its average rainfall for all of August. The severe weather had claimed eight lives as of Friday afternoon.

The heavy rain forced the suspension of train and bus services, leaving nearly 7,000 travelers stranded overnight at Narita Airport, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Despite the disruption, Taiwan's Tourism Administration said it had not received any reports of Taiwanese tour groups being affected.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan and Taiwan's major travel industry associations also said they had not received reports of Taiwanese travelers requiring assistance.

Taiwan Tigerair said passengers who were unable to board Flight IT701 from Narita to Taoyuan on Thursday, Flight IT201 from Narita to Taoyuan on Friday, or Flight IT281 from Narita to Kaohsiung on Friday due to severe weather may rebook their flights within the next seven days without additional charges.

Affected passengers should contact Taiwan Tigerair customer service by 9 p.m. Sunday, the airline said.

Alternatively, passengers may apply for a full refund in the form of flight credit valid for 180 days for future travel, the airline said.

Passengers who purchased tickets through travel agencies or third-party platforms should contact their original booking provider for assistance, Taiwan Tigerair said.

Meanwhile, Starlux Airlines told CNA that although the number of no-show passengers was higher than usual, its flight operations remained unaffected.

China Airlines said its flights continued to operate normally, while EVA Air said only one passenger was unable to board its Narita-Kaohsiung flight because of the severe weather.