Commentary

Typhoon Hagibis: Stoic Japanese pick up the pieces after yet another disaster

A man cleaning up debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Yanagawamachi district, Date City, Fukushima prefecture,on Oct 16, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS
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On the same day that vast areas of his home town were submerged in muddy flood waters due to Typhoon Hagibis, Mr Masatoshi Matsumoto drove 3½ hours to Yokohama and watched Japan defeat Scotland 28-21 at the Rugby World Cup.

That resounding victory not only brought Japan to the quarter-finals of the tournament - they play South Africa tonight - but also evidently helped to uplift a nation battered overnight by one of its worst storms in history.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on October 20, 2019, with the headline Typhoon Hagibis: Stoic Japanese pick up the pieces after yet another disaster. Subscribe