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Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, October 23 (Reporter Chen Cong) Typhoon “Lan” hit the central Pacific coast of Japan in the early morning of the 23rd, killing two people and severely disrupting transportation systems and commercial activities.
The typhoon had a central pressure of 950 hPa and a maximum wind speed of 198 km/h. It hit Shizuoka Prefecture on the main island of Honshu in central Japan at around 3 a.m. local time.
The 21st typhoon of the season caused severe damage, with rivers bursting their banks and landslides swallowing homes, with up to 800 millimeters of rain falling in western Wakayama prefecture in the 48 hours to Sunday, according to local news reports.
Mie Prefecture was also hit hard, with the powerful storm bringing 700 millimeters of rain during the same period, and also causing widespread flooding in parts of Nara Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In the southwestern city of Fukuoka, strong winds toppled scaffolding at a construction site, killing a 63-year-old man. In Yamaguchi prefecture in western Japan, a 70-year-old man died after his boat’s engine failed and he was forced to jump into the sea.
In addition, according to local media reports, a house in Wakayama Prefecture was hit by a mudslide and the residents were missing.
Toyota Motor Corp.’s plants in several prefectures, including Iwate, Miyagi and Gifu, will be shut down until Monday evening, local media quoted company representatives as saying.
Japan’s two largest airlines, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, canceled 350 flights on Sunday and 170 flights on Monday. About 43,000 passengers were affected by the flight cancellations.
Shinkansen train services on some sections of the Tokaido route were suspended and some major roads were forced to close.
Some local towns issued evacuation orders and vote counting following Sunday’s House of Representatives election was suspended until Monday in areas where polling stations were affected by the typhoon.
Typhoon Ran will weaken to a tropical cyclone by the time it reaches eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
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