Japan has issued an emergency warning as a powerful typhoon approaches its southwest, prompting carmaker Toyota to shutter factories and airlines to cancel flights.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on Wednesday estimated that Typhoon Shanshan was situated 70km (43 miles) from Yakushima island at 2pm (05:00 GMT), heading north towards Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures on the southwestern Kyushu island, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Shanshan would approach southern Kyushu with “extremely strong force” on Thursday.
Hayashi said the typhoon, expected to pack gusts of up to 250km/h (155mph), would bring “violent winds” and “high waves” stronger than those experienced in the past.
The JMA said that Shanshan will strike Kyushu over the next few days, approaching the central and eastern regions, which include the capital, Tokyo, around the weekend.
Authorities issued evacuation orders on Wednesday for more than 800,000 residents in Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu and the Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures southwest of Tokyo on central Honshu island.
Carmaker Toyota will suspend operations of all 14 plants in Japan from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.
Japan Airlines cancelled 172 domestic flights and six international flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, while ANA scrapped 219 domestic flights and four international ones scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The cancellations affect about 25,000 people.
Kyushu Railway said it would suspend some Shinkansen bullet train services between Kumamoto and Kagoshima Chuo from Wednesday night and warned of further possible disruption.
Trains between Tokyo and Fukuoka, the most populous city on Kyushu, may also be cancelled depending on weather conditions this week, other operators said.
Postal and delivery services have also been suspended in the Kyushu region, and supermarkets and other stores announced plans to close early.
Climate change
Typhoon Shanshan follows closely on the heels of Typhoon Ampil, which also led to blackouts and evacuations in the country earlier this month, with hundreds of flights and trains disrupted.
Ampil came days after Tropical Storm Maria brought record rains to northern areas.
Typhoons in the region have been forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change, according to a study released last month.
Disaster Management Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura urged residents in Shanshan’s predicted path to take precautionary measures early, such as by checking their nearest shelters, to save their own lives.
