September was one of the wettest and cloudiest months on record for large parts of the country, according to the Meteorological Agency, and local governments are warning that the lack of sunlight and damage from typhoons and heavy rains will likely affect agricultural output.
The agency said eastern and western Japan as well as Okinawa saw far fewer sunny days in September than normal. The number of hours of sunlight in western Japan and along the Japan Sea coast was only 64 percent of a normal September, the lowest figure since the agency began compiling comparable data in 1946.
During the month, weather fronts tended to stall over Honshu, bringing clouds and rain, as well as Typhoon Malakas, which struck in the middle of September and dumped more than 400 mm of rain on parts of Kyushu and Shikoku.