Typhoon Dujuan Threatens Korea’s Baseball Quest for 5th Straight Asian Games Gold

Typhoon Dujuan Track and Intensity

As of 9:00 a.m. on September 20, Typhoon Dujuan was moving northward approximately 780 kilometers south-southwest of Tokyo, according to the KMA. The storm maintains a central pressure of 970 hPa, a maximum wind speed of 35 meters per second, and a wind radius spanning 500 kilometers.

The storm is expected to pass south of Tokyo on the morning of September 21 before reaching the capital’s coastal vicinity by that night. Forecasters predict the system will turn east-northeastward on September 22 and move out into the open Pacific, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Japan’s Pacific coastline. Precipitation totals could reach up to 400 millimeters in some areas by the morning of September 22.

Impact on South Korea’s Opening Schedule

South Korea’s national baseball team is scheduled to play its opening Group B game against Chinese Taipei at 6:30 p.m. on September 21 at Okazaki Municipal Baseball Stadium. The team faces Hong Kong at 6:30 p.m. on September 22 and concludes the group stage against Thailand at 12:00 p.m. on September 23.

The arrival of the typhoon aligns directly with the first two games of the schedule. Because Okazaki Municipal Baseball Stadium is an open-air facility with a dirt infield rather than artificial turf, heavy rainfall threatens to disrupt normal game operations.

Precedent and Regional Weather Outlook

Weather disruptions have already affected other events at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The organizing committee canceled rowing preliminaries originally slated for September 20 at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course after heavy rain on September 8 damaged facilities that required removal and re-installation. Consequently, organizers shifted the September 20 heats to September 21 and pushed subsequent events back.

Current forecasts suggest Dujuan’s center will track toward the waters off the Kanto region rather than making a direct landfall across Aichi Prefecture. Because Aichi is situated west of Tokyo, South Korea’s venue may escape the worst of the direct impacts. However, if the storm track shifts further west or expands its wind and rain fields, outdoor events scheduled for the opening days could face delays. Rain is forecasted for Nagoya on September 20 and 21 independently of the typhoon’s precise track.

The KMA expects Dujuan to degrade into an extratropical cyclone with maximum winds dropping to 29 meters per second by the morning of September 23 as it moves into the open waters east of Sapporo.