Japan warned on Wednesday that an “extremely strong” typhoon heading toward the southern main island of Kyushu would bring unusually violent storms as three people were missing following a landslide.
The approach of Typhoon Shanshan, with gusts of up to 252 kilometers per hour and widespread heavy rains, prompted auto giant Toyota to halt production at all 14 of its Japanese factories.
“Typhoon Shanshan is expected to approach southern Kyushu with extremely strong force by Thursday and may make landfall,” Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.
“It is expected to bring strong winds, high waves and a storm surge on a scale that many people have never experienced before,” said Hayashi, the government’s top spokesman.
The system has already brought heavy rains across much of Japan, and late Tuesday night a wall of mud, rocks and other debris swept away a house containing five family members in Gamagori, a city in central Aichi Prefecture.
After an overnight rescue operation, a second woman in her 40s was rescued, but a couple in their 70s and a man in his 30s remain missing, a Gamagori official told AFP.
12.5 million people live in Kyushu.
In southern Kyushu, 500 millimeters (20 inches) of rain are expected in the 24 hours ending Thursday morning and 600 millimeters in the 24 hours ending Friday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Local governments have issued evacuation advisories for 810,000 people in central Shizuoka prefecture on Honshu and 56,000 more in Kagoshima on Kyushu due to the rain, the fire and disaster management agency said.
The weather agency may also issue a special severe weather warning for Kagoshima Prefecture later on Wednesday, an agency official said at a morning press conference.
“We must be on high alert,” he said, urging people to evacuate before a severe storm hits.
Japan Airlines canceled 172 domestic flights and six international flights for Wednesday and Thursday, while ANA canceled 219 domestic flights and four international flights for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Around 25,000 people were affected by the cancellations.
Kyushu Railway said some Shinkansen bullet trains between Kumamoto and Kagoshima Chuo would be suspended starting Wednesday evening and warned of possible further disruptions.
Trains between Tokyo and Fukuoka, the most populous city on Kyushu, could also be cancelled this week depending on weather conditions, other operators said.
Shanshan follows Typhoon Ampil, which disrupted hundreds of flights and trains this month.
Despite heavy rain, there were only minor injuries and property damage.
Ampil came days after Tropical Storm Maria brought record rains to northern areas.
According to a study published last month, climate change is causing typhoons in the region to form closer to the coast, intensify more quickly and stay over land longer.
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