Huge Typhoon Lan seen to hit Honshu main island

October 22, 2017

Tokyo- Huge Typhoon Lan is seen hitting Japan's Honshu main island Monday after causing heavy rain and strong winds in many parts of the country amid the general election on Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The 21st typhoon of the year, whose central atmospheric pressure stood at 945 hectopascals, was traveling north at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour in waters south of the Shikoku western island at 3 p.m. (6 a.m. GMT).

The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 meters per second near the center of the typhoon, with the maximum instantaneous wind speed reaching 60 meters.

The agency warned of heavy rain, violent winds, high waves and storm surges. Public transport services in the Tokyo metropolitan area may be disrupted in busy commuting hours Monday morning.

The typhoon "will cause significant effects on the metropolitan area Monday morning," agency forecaster Tsumoru Matsumoto told a news conference, asking citizens to exercise caution.

The agency warned of possible mudslides in the prefectures of Tokushima, Osaka, Nara, Kanagawa, Chiba and Ibaraki. An evacuation order was issued in part of Hannan, Osaka Prefecture.

On Sunday, four JR Group companies--Shikoku Railway Co., West Japan Railway Co. , Central Japan Railway Co. and East Japan Railway Co. canceled some trains in the eastern to western regions. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines canceled many flights.

In the Kii Peninsula in western Japan, 48-hour rainfall to 3 p.m. totaled 482.5 millimeters in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, and 341.5 millimeters in Owase, Mie Prefecture.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall at the Tokai central region or the Kanto eastern region, which includes Tokyo, on Honshu early Monday. It is seen reaching the Pacific off the Sanriku coast in the Tohoku northeastern region Monday afternoon.

The typhoon caused some municipalities to move up voting in the House of Representatives election by a day or two. In addition, vote-counting work is set to delay in part of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called disaster management minister Hachiro Okonogi to instruct him to make full preparations for the expected typhoon landing.

The administration will do its utmost to deal with any disasters that may be caused by the typhoon, Abe told reporters after his meeting with Okonogi. Jiji Press