Cause of 'Black Rain' in Japan Remains a Mystery
An image of the rain shared on social media. (@hiro10or / Twitter)
A fall of black rain on March 2nd over the city of Hasuda in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture—a part of the Greater Tokyo area—remains a mystery, despite some who think it may have come as the result of a sizable factory fire which occurred at the same time near the city of Noda.
There was a strong wind out of the north/northeast that day, which is speculated to have blown the smoke from the fire over Hasuda, where it mixed with the precipitation there to form the black rain.
Noda is located in the Chiba Prefecture, about 15 miles east of Hasuda.
Locals were quick to take to social media and share the unusual rain, which did cause some alarm.
A review of the comments indicates that many locals quickly connected the event to the fire in Noda, although others speculated about North Korean nuclear tests, and even the pollution purportedly created by the cremation of bodies tied to COVID-19.
The tabloid media jumped on the story, sharing a speculative tweet questioning whether the rain was caused by crematoriums in China—a narrative which exploits rising global anxiety regarding COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that appeared in the Hubei province late last year and has since spread throughout the world.
There is currently no credible evidence to support that the Chinese government is hiding the rate of mortality in Hubei, or that there has been cremation of persons afflicted by the virus on a scale that conflicts with the reported numbers in that region.
According to information regarding the black rain released by the city of Hasuda, "similar events have occurred not only in Hasuda City but also in nearby municipalities and it is not a kind of mischief. Radioactivity was measured, but there was no problem. Currently, we are exchanging information with the Eastern Environmental Management Office of Saitama Prefecture, and are working to understand the situation."
Furthermore, although the city does "monitor the air condition all the time in Saitama Prefecture, there seems to be no abnormality from the measurement results of pollutants in the air."
The city of Hasuda has not provided any updates since March 2nd, and the mysterious black rain remains officially unexplained.
To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to support the Singular Fortean Society, please consider becoming an official member by signing up through our Patreon page—membership includes a ton of extra content and behind-the-scenes access to the Society’s inner workings.
Related Stories
Recent News
