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Heavy rain from tropical storm raises flood risks in the Tokyo region

TOKYO (AP) — A tropical storm dumped heavy rain and raised flood risks around east-central Japan as it moved into the heavily populated Tokyo region Wednesday.

Heavy rain already paralyzed street traffic in the city, hundreds of flights were cancelled and train services were suspended or delayed. More than 5,000 homes lost power, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which serves the capital region.

In downtown Tokyo, residents near the Zenpukuji River were advised to take shelter. Television footage showed the swollen muddy water on the verge of overflowing.

Tropical Storm Jangmi was east of Shima city and moving northeast around midmorning while packing maximum sustained winds of 90 kph (55 mph), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The agency issued the highest-level flood warning in a number of areas in central and eastern Japan, urging people living along rivers and in vulnerable areas to move to higher ground for safety.

The storm dumped 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rain in the past 24 hours in the Owase area in central Japan. Up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) was expected through Thursday morning in some areas including Tokyo, JMA said.

Jangmi made landfall in Wakayama prefecture at typhoon strength with 126 kph (78 mph) winds before moving inland and weakening significantly. It was forecast to maintain tropical-storm strength for much of the day.

The typhoon earlier hit the southern island of Okinawa and left 15 people with slight injuries.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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