WNAM REPORT: Powerful Typhoon Shanshan made landfall on Japan’s southwestern main island of Kyushu on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that could destroy some homes, the weather agency said.
A rare special typhoon warning has been issued for most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, with residents in affected areas urged to remain on high alert for natural disasters and public transport operators canceling trains and flights. The storm was heading in a northerly direction.
JR Kyushu, which already suspended part of its shinkansen bullet train operations Wednesday night, said the stoppage would include all high-speed and other train services on the island by Thursday afternoon, while Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have canceled many flights to and from airports in the region.
Some bullet trains will also be canceled Thursday evening on the section from Hakata in northern Kyushu to Hiroshima in western Japan, according to JR West.
The typhoon made landfall near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima around 8 a.m., when it was moving northward at 15 kilometers per hour with winds of up to 216 kph, the agency said. It had an atmospheric pressure of 955 hectopascals at its center.
As of Wednesday, at least nine people had sustained injuries due to the typhoon, according to the prefectural governments of Kagoshima and neighboring Miyazaki.
In central Japan, bullet train services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Shizuoka and Kakegawa were suspended Wednesday night due to heavy rainfall. In nearby Aichi Prefecture, the city office of Gamagori confirmed that three people died and two others were injured when a landslide hit their house.
Toyota Motor Corp. and other major automakers said they will suspend operations at some of their factories Thursday, mainly in areas affected by the typhoon.
Residents in typhoon-hit areas have been warned to prepare for strong winds as well as high tides and waves, with the weather agency urging people to be ready to evacuate before conditions worsen.
As much as 600 millimeters of rain over 24 hours was forecast in some areas of Kyushu. The storm’s sluggish pace could increase the danger, as strong winds and heavy rains could linger in some areas for prolonged periods, the agency said.
Special typhoon warnings are declared in cases of extraordinarily powerful storm systems. As Typhoon Nanmadol approached in 2022, a special warning was issued for Kagoshima Prefecture, the first in the country for an area other than Okinawa.
