Powerful Typhoon Shanshan moving near Southern Japan , prompts emergency warning

Typhoon Shanshan is currently moving northward off Japan’s southwest coast, with maximum gusts forecast to reach around 250 kilometers per hour—strong enough to cause significant damage, including bringing down houses.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued an emergency warning for storms and high waves in Kagoshima Prefecture, excluding the Amami region, as the very strong typhoon was located 70 kilometers south-southwest of Yakushima island as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Heavy rain clouds are expected to develop over Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefecture through Wednesday night, raising the risk of disasters such as landslides and river flooding. Localized heavy rain is also affecting parts of western and eastern Japan, despite the typhoon still being distant from these areas.

Weather officials are urging residents to be cautious of violent winds, high waves, rough seas, landslides, and flooding.

On Kikaijima Island in the Amami region, wind gusts reached nearly 110 kilometers per hour around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Rain is also intensifying in the Tokai region of central Japan, with Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture recording 40.5 millimeters of rain in just one hour.

Shinshiro in Aichi Prefecture saw 304.5 millimeters of rainfall over 48 hours, a record for August since record-keeping began in 2003.

Typhoon Shanshan is expected to come closer to the Kyushu region through Thursday, potentially strengthening further. Rainfall could reach up to 400 millimeters in parts of Kyushu, 250 millimeters in northern Kyushu and Shikoku, and 200 millimeters in the Tokai region during the 24 hours through Wednesday night.

Authorities are urging residents to stay alert and take necessary precautions.