Typhoon Shanshan slammed into Japan on Friday, unleashing a torrent of rain that has caused widespread flooding and prompted warnings of landslides across the country. The storm, which authorities describe as one of the strongest to hit the southwestern region of Kyushu, made landfall on Thursday, leaving residents bracing for the worst.
In Fukuoka city, the storm’s impact was acutely felt, with streets eerily quiet and shops shuttered. Kokoro Osoegawa, a 21-year-old university student, found herself stranded at the entrance of a deserted shopping mall near the city’s train station. “There are no trains because of the typhoon so my parents are coming to pick me up. I stayed at a friend’s house and then came here. I thought there would be some trains but there are none,” she said. “I’ve never experienced all the trains stopping before.”
The storm’s ferocity has been evident in the strong winds, reaching gusts of up to 50 meters per second (180 km per hour/112 mph), strong enough to overturn moving trucks. The typhoon was near the coastal city of Kunisaki in Oita Prefecture at 8:45 a.m. (2345 GMT) on Friday, and moving northeast, according to authorities.
The storm has left over 125,000 households in seven prefectures without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. While the typhoon’s core has brought strong winds and heavy rain to Kyushu, the warm and moist air flowing around it has also caused heavy rains in areas far from its center. This has raised concerns for authorities, especially given the slower-than-expected movement of the storm across the country.
Authorities have issued evacuation notices to over 4 million people across Japan, including in the hard-hit Kyushu area and as far away as the capital Tokyo and nearby Yokohama. In Yokohama, authorities warned of potential landslides in some areas due to the heavy rainfall. However, only about 30,000 people have evacuated so far, mainly in Kyushu, according to disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura.
Following its passage through Kyushu, the typhoon is expected to approach the central and eastern regions of Japan, including Tokyo, around the weekend. The weather agency has issued warnings about the storm’s potential impact.
The storm has caused widespread travel disruptions. Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have announced the cancellation of hundreds of domestic and some international flights. Ferry and rail services, including the bullet train between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya, were suspended on Friday morning.
Lin Yue-Hua, a 60-year-old tourist from Taiwan, was one of those caught in the travel chaos. Her flight from Fukuoka back home was cancelled on Thursday, and she has been struggling to reschedule her trip. “We were very worried and upset because we didn’t know what to do,” she said. “We stayed one more day in Japan. Then we saw it in the news that our flight from Taiwan couldn’t land in Japan after flying around the area for about 40 minutes and it flew back to Taiwan. So we have been busy trying to find our way home.”
Typhoon Shanshan is the latest in a series of harsh weather systems to hit Japan. Earlier this month, Typhoon Ampil also led to blackouts and evacuations across the country. Authorities are urging residents to stay vigilant and follow safety guidelines as the storm continues to move through the country.
