NHK



 

Typhoon Shanshan is bearing down on southern Japan's Amami Islands. Residents are being advised to stay on high alert for destructive winds and flooding.

The typhoon is currently heading northwest, but its path is difficult to predict.

It's expected to bring widespread heavy rains, including along the Pacific coast from western to eastern Japan from Tuesday night through Thursday. The Meteorological Agency is calling on the public to be vigilant for violent winds, high waves and mudslides.

Winds of over 140 kilometers per hour are forecast for the Amami region. By Wednesday, they could exceed 250 kilometers per hour, endangering homes and other structures.

Preparations are underway across the country. Uranaka Yoichi, a fisher at a port in the city of Yawatahama, said he anchored his ship to the quay.

In a rice field in the town of Okagaki in Fukuoka Prefecture, rice farmer Chikushi Toshihide said his crop had to be harvested in a hurry.

Torrential downpours are also forecast for parts of southwestern Japan through noon on Wednesday.

Southern Kyushu could see 300 millimeters of rain over a 24-hour period, while Amami is set to receive around 400 millimeters.