Japan has issued an emergency warning in anticipation of Typhoon Shanshan, which is approaching the region with potentially severe weather conditions and strong winds.
As a formidable typhoon draws near to its southwest, Japan released an urgent alert which led car manufacturer Toyota to shut down their factories and airlines to invalidate scheduled flights.
According to a report from public broadcaster NHK, on Wednesday the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) predicted that Typhoon Shanshan was 70km (43 miles) away from Yakushima island at 2pm (05:00 GMT). The typhoon is moving towards Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures on southwestern Kyushu island.
On Thursday, Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Chief Cabinet Secretary informed journalists that Shanshan will hit southern Kyushu with an “immensely powerful” impact.
According to Hayashi, the upcoming typhoon is predicted to have gusts as strong as 250km/h (155mph), resulting in “violent winds” and waves that will be even more intense than previous occurrences.
According to the JMA, Kyushu will be hit by Shanshan in the coming days. The storm is expected to move towards central and eastern regions, including Tokyo -the capital- during this weekend.
On Wednesday, authorities ordered over 800,000 residents in Kagoshima prefecture located in Kyushu and the Aichi as well as Shizuoka prefectures situated southwest of Tokyo on central Honshu island to evacuate.
All 14 plants in Japan operated by car manufacturer Toyota will be temporarily shut down, starting from Wednesday evening until Thursday morning.
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On Wednesday and Thursday, Japan Airlines terminated a total of 172 domestic flights along with six international ones. At the same time period, ANA cancelled four overseas and 219 national flights that were set for Wednesday to Friday.
Around 25,000 individuals are impacted by the cancellations.
From Wednesday evening, Kyushu Railway will temporarily halt a few Shinkansen bullet train routes operating between Kumamoto and Kagoshima Chuo. The railway company also indicated the potential for additional interruptions to service.
Other operators stated that the trains operating between Tokyo and Fukuoka, which happens to be the most heavily populated city on Kyushu, might also face cancellations this week due to weather conditions.
Delivery and postal services have come to a halt in the Kyushu region, while supermarkets and other stores intend to shut down early.
Climate alteration
Typhoon Shanshan is swiftly approaching, on the heels of Typhoon Ampil that caused blackouts and evacuations in the country earlier this month, resulting in numerous disrupted flights and trains.
After record rains hit the northern areas brought by Tropical Storm Maria, Ampil arrived a few days later.
A recent study has revealed that typhoons in the area are now forming nearer to shorelines, escalating at a faster pace and persisting for longer periods over land because of climate change.
Yoshifumi Matsumura, the Minister of Disaster Management, advised individuals within Shanshan’s projected trajectory to take preventive steps beforehand. This can be accomplished by inspecting their nearest shelters in order to preserve their own well-being.
