Japan: Super Typhoon Shanshan hits Kyushu Island

Shanshan, Japan’s strongest typhoon this year, is expected to make landfall on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Thursday morning, causing the first damage.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said, “The center of Typhoon N.10 made landfall near the town of Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture at around 8:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. in Switzerland).

According to the operator, 254,610 households were without power at the start of the day in the Shanshan region due to the passage of weather conditions, which was accompanied by heavy rain and gusts of up to 252 kilometers per hour.

High alert

Faced with this situation, authorities activated the highest “special alert” for strong winds, heavy rains and inundating waves on Wednesday. “Please remain on high alert for severe storms, waves and high tides in Kagoshima, and landslides, flooding and river overflowing in low-lying areas in southern Kyushu,” the Japan Meteorological Agency warned early Thursday. “Also note that the risk of disasters due to heavy rains may increase rapidly in western Japan by Friday,” the agency added.

Two departments in southern Kyushu island should receive nearly half of their annual rainfall in 48 hours. Kagoshima and Miyazaki are expected to receive 500 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours to Thursday morning, and 600 millimeters in the 24 hours to Friday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Auto giant Toyota announced on Wednesday that it will suspend production at its 14 plants in Japan from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening.

Separately, Kyodo News reported earlier Thursday, citing local government officials, that three members of the same family died when a house in Gamagori City in central Aichi Prefecture was buried by a landslide. The news agency said a couple in their 70s and their son in his 30s were among the dead, while two women in their 40s were injured.

Flight cancellations

Japan Airlines canceled 172 domestic flights and six international flights on Wednesday and Thursday. Rival ANA announced it was canceling 219 domestic flights and four international flights from Wednesday to Friday.

The railway company that manages the high-speed Shinkansen line has announced that trains may also be cancelled depending on weather conditions across the archipelago this week.

The typhoon is expected to sweep across Japan from west to east for the rest of the week. A study published last July showed that typhoons in the region are coming closer to the coast, intensifying faster and staying over land longer than before due to climate change.

Another typhoon, Ampil, caused many train and flight cancellations in Japan from August 15 to 17, but caused only minor injuries and damage as it moved along the Pacific coast from Tokyo.

AFP

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