Extremely powerful typhoon Shanshan hits Japan

Photo: Hidetaka Komukai Kyodo News via Associated Press Powerful waves hit a coastal area in Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, as the typhoon approaches, Wednesday, Aug. 28.

Agence France-Presse in Tokyo

Published at 12:07 Updated at 9:54 p.m.

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Typhoon Shanshan, expected in Japan to be the strongest of the year, made landfall on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Thursday morning, causing the first damage.

“The center of typhoon No. 10 made landfall near the city of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, around 8 a.m. (7 p.m. Wednesday in Quebec),” the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

According to operators, 254,610 homes were without power early in the day in the region due to the passage of Shanshan, accompanied by heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 252 km/h.

In response, authorities issued their highest “special alert” on Wednesday for strong winds, heavy rain and flood waves.

“Please exercise maximum vigilance against severe storms, waves and high tides in Kagoshima, as well as landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and river overflows in southern Kyushu,” the JMA warned early Thursday.

Disaster risk

“Please also note that the risk of disasters due to heavy rain may increase rapidly in western Japan by Friday,” the JMA added.

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Two prefectures in the south of Kyushu Island are expected to receive nearly half of their annual intake within 48 hours. In Kagoshima and Miyazaki, 500 mm of rain in the 24 hours through Thursday morning is expected, followed by another 600 mm in the 24 hours through Friday morning, according to the JMA.

Automotive giant Toyota said Wednesday it would suspend production at its 14 plants across Japan from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening.

In related news, three members of a family died after a landslide buried a house in Gamagori, a city in the central prefecture of Aichi, Kyodo news agency reported early Thursday, citing local government officials.

The dead included a couple in their 70s and their son in his 30s. years old, while two women in their forties were injured, the news agency said.

Photo: Hidetaka Komukai Kyodo News via Associated Press Typhoon Shanshan is packing heavy rain and winds of up to 252 kph (157 mph).

Japan Airlines canceled 172 domestic flights and six international flights Wednesday and Thursday. Rival ANA said it canceled 219 domestic flights and four international flights Wednesday through Friday.

Railways operating the Shinkansen high-speed rail service have already said trains could also be canceled depending on weather conditions this week across the country.

The typhoon is expected to sweep across Japan from west to east for the rest of the week.

Typhoons in the region are forming closer to shore than before, intensifying more quickly and staying over land longer because of climate change, according to a study published last July.

Another typhoon, Ampil, from August 15 to 17, caused cancellations of many trains and flights in Japan but caused only minor injuries and damage as it moved up the Pacific coast off the Tokyo area.