Southwestern Japan urged to beware of powerful typhoon

TOKYO. KAZINFORM Japan's weather agency warned residents Wednesday to be vigilant as a very powerful typhoon may cause storms, mudslides and flooding in southwestern Japan and heavy rains in wider areas through Thursday.

By Wednesday afternoon, Typhoon Maysak is projected to be close to the northern part of the Kyushu main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, also warning of possible high waves and high tides, Kyodo reports.

Bullet train services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations in western Japan will be suspended Thursday as a precaution from the first departure of the day until around 8 a.m., said West Japan Railway Co.

Eight people in Okinawa Prefecture have so far been slightly injured as the typhoon brought about very strong gusts of wind. Thunderstorms hit southern Kyushu as well.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the typhoon was traveling 120 kilometers west of Goto, Nagasaki Prefecture. It had an atmospheric pressure of 950 hectopascals at its center and was packing winds of up to 216 km per hour.

The agency also warned of another typhoon that may make landfall and cause record rains, storms, high waves and high tides as it approaches southwestern to western Japan from Sunday to Monday.

Typhoon Haishen could develop an atmospheric pressure of less than 930 hectopascals and stir up storms stronger than Typhoon Faxai, which battered the Tokyo metropolitan area last year.