TOKYO: A severe tropical storm battered southwestern Japan on Tuesday (June 2), injuring 15 people and prompting calls to evacuate for hundreds of thousands of people due to flooding and landslide risks.
Storm Jangmi -- which was downgraded from a typhoon -- also knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and grounded hundreds of flights.
But the storm was heading northeast toward Tokyo, where authorities warned of possible transport disruptions and school closures for Wednesday.
Jangmi led to evacuation advisories for more than 800,000 people in Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures on the southern main island of Kyushu, the Japanese government said.
Torrential rain and strong winds that felled a 10-metre (32-foot) tree in Okinawa were seen in images reported by local media.
Some 17,000 households on the island and more than 30,000 in the southwestern Kagoshima region were without power Tuesday morning.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Jangmi had also injured 15 people in Okinawa.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that injuries were caused by Jangmi blowing objects into cars and strong winds causing people to lose their footing.
At 4pm (0700 GMT), Jangmi was approaching the southern tip of Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan's four main islands, with the maximum gust speed of 90 kilometres (55 miles) per hour, the weather agency said.
The storm was expected to move northeastward to get closer to Tokyo on Wednesday.
Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara warned that public transport in Tokyo and nearby cities could face disruptions Wednesday as the storm approaches.
"For those of you who are living in areas likely to be affected by the storm, please pay close attention to evacuation information issued by your municipalities, and stay mindful of early evacuation," Kihara told a news conference.
"Please remain vigilant and make sure you take action to protect your life."
Some schools in Tokyo announced closures for Wednesday citing safety of children during commuting.
Japan's two biggest airliners All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines cancelled a combined 600 flights scheduled for Monday through Wednesday. - AFP
