Japan braces for 'very strong' typhoon
Japan issued an emergency warning on Wednesday as powerful Typhoon Shanshan approached the southwestern region with heavy rain and strong winds. Airlines and rail operators cancelled some services over the coming days as the typhoon, categorised as "very strong", packed strong winds and gusts of up to 252 kilometres per hour. "Maximum caution is required given that forecasts are for strong winds, high waves and high tides that have not been seen thus far," the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned. Shanshan is expected to strike the southwestern Kyushu island over the next few days and approach the central and eastern regions, which includes the capital Tokyo, around the weekend, JMA said. Authorities issued evacuation orders for more than 800,000 residents in Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu and the central Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures. Two people were missing after a landslide. A wall of mud, rocks and other debris on Tuesday swept away a house in Gamagori, a city in central Aichi prefecture. Three others had been pulled out, according to public broadcaster NHK. The typhoon also prompted Toyota Motor to suspend operations at all of its domestic factories.  Some 28 production lines at 14 group companies will suspend operations from Wednesday afternoon. Typhoon Shanshan is the latest storm to hit Japan following last week's Typhoon Ampil, which also led to blackouts and evacuations. (Reuters/AFP)