KYODO NEWS



 

Japan's weather agency issued a rare special typhoon warning Wednesday for most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture in the country's southwest as powerful Typhoon Shanshan, which has already caused several injuries in affected areas, approaches.

The storm is heading in a northerly direction south of Yakushima Island off the prefecture and could make landfall on the southwestern main island of Kyushu on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Expecting disruptions, Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to suspend its plants nationwide and railway operators announced the cancellation of some services.

As of Wednesday, a total of nine people had sustained injuries due to the typhoon, according to the prefectural governments of Kagoshima and neighboring Miyazaki.

JR West said operations of its Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train between Hiroshima and Hakata will be suspended from 9 p.m. Thursday through Friday morning, while JR Kyushu said it will cancel all of its local train and bullet train services by Thursday afternoon.

Some flights were also canceled on Wednesday with the typhoon nearing, mostly those serving airports in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures.

Residents have been warned to prepare for strong winds and high waves, with the weather agency urging people to be ready to evacuate before conditions worsen. The agency said the typhoon could pack winds capable of destroying some homes.

 

As much as 600 millimeters of rain over 24 hours has been forecast in some areas. The storm's sluggish pace could increase the danger posed as areas may be struck for a prolonged period by strong winds and heavy rains, the agency said.

Toyota's 14 plants will be suspended from late Wednesday afternoon, the company said.

Special typhoon warnings are declared in cases of extraordinarily powerful storm systems. The same warning was issued for Kagoshima Prefecture in 2022 as Typhoon Nanmadol approached, which was at that time a first for any area other than Okinawa.

Separate emergency heavy rain warnings, indicating a life-threatening situation, could also be released for both Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, the agency said.

As of 6 p.m., the typhoon was moving slowly northward, located about 40 kilometers west-southwest of Yakushima Island, the weather agency said. It had an atmospheric pressure of 935 hectopascals at its center.