The Kyushu region was being battered by strong winds, heavy rain and high waves early Thursday morning ahead of a likely landfall by powerful Typhoon Shanshan, with emergency warnings in place and the authorities urging those in the storm's path to evacuate while it's still safe to do so.
Shanshan, referred to by the weather agency as Typhoon No. 10, could make landfall later Thursday while still a very strong storm, and its slow movement means it will deliver dangerous impacts over a prolonged period.
Rain, wind and waves are intensifying in southern Kyushu, and the storm has already caused major disruptions to transportation networks in the region and beyond.
The Meteorological Agency, in a statement released on Wednesday night, warned of the risk of landslides, flooding and storm surge in southern Kyushu. The region could also face record-breaking winds and rainfall.
The statement added that areas far form the storm's center, mainly in western Japan and the Pacific side of eastern Japan, could see severe impacts as the typhoon brings in warm and humid air, resulting in heavy rain and thunderstorms.
In areas of western Japan expected to face the storm's strongest winds, the agency warned that some houses could collapse, urging residents to take shelter in study buildings and to stay away from windows.
Rainfall totals over the next 24 hours in the southern Kyushu region could reach about 600 millimeters, and in certain areas, a total of 1,000 mm could fall over the next couple of days, the agency warned. Rainfall figures in northern Kyushu could reach 500 mm over the same period.
On Wednesday afternoon, the weather agency issued an emergency storm warning and an emergency high tide warning for Kagoshima Prefecture, excluding the Amami region. An emergency storm surge warning was also issued for the Satsuma region of Kagoshima, with the agency warning residents of the possibility of an extreme rise in sea levels due to the effects of the storm.
The island village of Mishima in Kagoshima was placed under a Level 5 emergency warning — the rarely issued highest level — impacting 369 people across 202 households. The alert level warns of a life-threatening situation and urges residents to take action to protect themselves immediately, even if they can no longer evacuate safely.
Level 4 evacuation orders were issued in parts of Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, including the entire city of Miyazaki, home to over 400,000 people, and 27 cities in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Residents in the city of Miyazaki were encouraged to relocate to an evacuation center or the house of a family member or friend in a safer area to protect themselves from possible landslides and flooding. They were asked to bring emergency food supplies as well as goods for infectious disease prevention to the evacuation centers.
Level 4 evacuation orders were also seen in parts of Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures — despite being distant from the typhoon itself, the region has faced heavy rain brought in by the storm. A Level 4 evacuation order was issued for 14 households in the Okuko area of Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, on Wednesday morning, after a landslide in the city trapped five family members. Two of those trapped had been rescued by early Wednesday evening.
Three cities in Shizuoka Prefecture are also under evacuation orders due to a possible landslide as a result of the heavy rainfall.
“To protect your life and the lives of your loved ones, please flee to evacuation areas specified by local authorities and secure your safety,” Satoshi Sugimoto, an official at the weather agency, said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The agency is urging residents to follow orders by local authorities and evacuate or take appropriate action before the typhoon makes landfall.
“Storms, tidal waves and storm surges like never experienced before are to be expected and will require the utmost caution,” Sugimoto said at an earlier news conference.
As of late Wednesday evening, Typhoon Shanshan was moving north toward Kyushu at 10 kph, with the storm's central area, producing its strongest winds, already covering portions of the island. It had a central pressure of 935 hectopascals, sustained winds near its center of up to 180 kph and gusts of up to 252 kph.
Shanshan is expected to weaken only slightly by Thursday morning as its center nears Kyushu. After landfall, the typhoon is expected to weaken further, but it will remain a dangerous storm as it moves toward Shikoku or Honshu on Friday. Its exact course up to and after landfall remains unclear.
Power outages have been reported across Kyushu, with over 67,000 structures affected as of early Thursday morning, including over 57,000 in Kagoshima Prefecture and more than 9,000 in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Transport services across Japan are also facing major disruptions as Typhoon Shanshan approaches.
JR Kyushu suspended its shinkansen services between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo stations starting at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, with the suspension lasting until at least Friday.
Service suspensions were also planned on the line between Kumamoto Station and Hakata Station in the city of Fukuoka starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, as well as across the entire Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line, which connects Nagasaki and Takeo in Saga Prefecture.
West Japan Railway (JR West) said it will suspend services starting late Thursday on the Sanyo Shinkansen line, which connects Shin-Osaka station and Fukuoka’s Hakata Station.
On Thursday, some shinkansen trains heading toward Hakata will be suspended from Hiroshima onward at around 6:30 p.m., while several heading in the other direction will be suspended after 9:30 p.m.
The following day, the Sanyo Shinkansen between Hiroshima and Hakata stations, as well as the Hakata Minami Line between Hakata and Hakata Minami stations, will be suspended from the start of the day.
Depending on the status of the typhoon, the scope of the planned suspension may change, JR West said. There is a possibility that the suspension may continue into Saturday.
The Tokaido Shinkansen could experience similar disruptions from Friday into Saturday. The line saw periodic outages on Wednesday as heavy rain hit the Tokai region.
Local rail services across Kyushu are also feeling the storm’s impact, with many southern JR Kyushu lines, including the Kagoshima Line, and those operated by other companies, completely suspended.
Air travel has been hit hard as well, with thousands of passengers affected by cancellations. On Tuesday, 55 flights, mainly those bound for the Amami Islands and southern Kyushu, were canceled. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Japan Airlines had canceled 88 flights scheduled for Wednesday, while ANA canceled 10 and other carriers canceled 19 flights.
Highways are also expected to face extensive and prolonged closures due to Shanshan, with sections of the Tomei Expressway and Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures already shut down.
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered related parties to work closely with local governments to ensure the evacuation of residents in areas expected see flooding or be affected by landslides.
The government held an emergency operations meeting for the typhoon on Wednesday, calling for cooperation among the land ministry and the weather agency with local municipalities to prepare for the worst.
“Further impacts are expected, so please make every effort to carefully disseminate information as early as possible to the public and to foreign travelers,” land minister Tetsuo Saito said at the emergency meeting.
“The typhoon is moving slowly and therefore its impact may be prolonged — we ask that we maintain and operate under extreme caution, make maximum use of the on-site capabilities of the land ministry and work closely with local governments to ensure a thorough disaster response.”