TOKYO: Typhoon Mekkhala moved eastward over the sea south of Shikoku on Saturday (June 27) morning and is expected to approach the Tokai and Kanto regions through Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Higos made its closest approach to Tokai and Kanto on Saturday morning before weakening into an extratropical cyclone over the sea east of Japan by 9am.
Rain has intensified mainly in Kanto due to the typhoon and a seasonal rain front, with fears of heavy downpours continuing through the night.
Record-breaking rain and strong winds have already been logged.
Chiba Prefecture saw torrential downpours on Saturday morning, with Kimitsu recording 55.5 millimeters of hourly rainfall and Ichihara logging 42 millimeters, both marking record highs for June.
Powerful gusts were also felt, with maximum temporary wind speeds reaching 29.3 meters per second in Oshima, Tokyo, and 29.1 meters per second in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture.
The weather system has left a trail of damage across the nation. According to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally as of 9am Saturday, a landslide occurred in Hirao, Yamaguchi Prefecture, leaving a man in his 70s missing.
A total of eight people were injured across Nara, Yamaguchi, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures.
Damage to houses was reported in five prefectures, including Osaka and Kyoto, where eight houses were damaged.
Additionally, around 400 homes, primarily in western Japan, suffered above- or below-floor flooding.
Evacuation advisories were issued for a total of 70,000 households in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures.
As of 9am Saturday, Mekkhala was travelling northeast at 45 kph about 220 kilometers south-southwest of Cape Muroto in Kochi Prefecture.
It had an atmospheric pressure of 992 hectopascals at its center, with maximum wind speeds of 20 meters per second.
The typhoon is forecast to near Kanto by Saturday night before moving away to the waters east of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture by Sunday morning.
Up to 250 millimeters of rain is forecast for the Tokai region in the 24 hours through 6am Sunday, followed by 200 millimeters for Kanto-Koshin and 150 millimeters for Kinki.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has urged residents to maintain strict vigilance against landslides.
Transportation networks have experienced minor disruptions. Central Japan Railway Co. and East Japan Railway Co. reported that the Tokaido and Tohoku Shinkansen lines were operating mostly on schedule as of 9am Saturday.
On conventional lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area, some sections of the Tokaido Line suspended services from the first train of the day.
In aviation, All Nippon Airways canceled six flights connecting Hachijojima Island. - The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN
