Typhoon Jangmi to Approach Central, Eastern Japan on Wed.

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)–Typhoon Jangmi is expected to approach Japan’s Tokai central region Wednesday morning and the Kanto eastern region in the afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Tuesday. The sixth typhoon of the year approached the southern part of the Kyushu southwestern region on Tuesday afternoon. In addition to windstorms and high waves, the agency urged caution against landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers due to heavy rain. The typhoon is forecast to move eastward over the Kanto region after Wednesday night and transition into an extratropical cyclone by Thursday afternoon. In the city of Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, an urgent flood warning, the second-highest level in the five-tier alert system, was issued on Tuesday afternoon for the Hiroto and Sakatani rivers. In response, the Nichinan city government issued an evacuation order. This marked the first issuance of an urgent warning since the agency revamped the alert system. As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon was moving northeast at 40 kilometers per hour, located about 80 kilometers east-southeast of the southwestern city of Miyazaki. It had a central pressure of 980 hectopascals, with a maximum wind speed of 25 meters per second and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 35 meters per second. According to the internal affairs ministry’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, 15 people were slightly injured and six houses were partially damaged by the typhoon in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa. In Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in Kyushu, about 825,400 people were ordered to evacuate. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways have canceled a total of 280 flights scheduled for Tuesday, mainly to and from Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures. Toyota Motor Corp. said it will suspend operations at 13 domestic plants, excluding its Miyata Plant in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, starting Wednesday morning. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]