A large and powerful typhoon is expected to start battering Shikoku and the Kii Peninsula with winds of up to 90 kph from late June 19, the Meteorological Agency said.

The seventh typhoon of the season was located about 280 km south of Cape Muroto in Shikoku as of 10 p.m. June 19 and is heading north at 35 kph, it said. If the typhoon keeps to its present course, it will start striking the eastern part of Shikoku this morning before heading across the Tokai region on a path that would then take it over the heavily populated Kanto region later this evening, the agency said.

It is rare for a typhoon to strike the Japanese archipelago at this time of year. The agency predicts the typhoon will bring between 200 mm and 250 mm of rainfall to the Pacific coast of the Shikoku and Tokai regions through tonight. The Kanto region and central Japan are expected to get between 150 mm and 200 mm of rain.

The agency said it has issued a high-wave warning for large areas along Japan's coast, stretching from the Kanto region to southeast Kyushu. Waves are expected to be between 4 and 8 meters high, it said. The typhoon is packing winds of up to 126 kph at its center and has an atmospheric pressure of 965 hectopascals.

At 9 a.m. June 20, the typhoon is likely to be about 30 km west of Cape Shionomisaki in Wakayama Prefecture, the agency said, adding that strong winds are affecting areas up to 150 km from its center. At 9 p.m., it is expected to be approximately 30 km south of the city of Fukushima.