Typhoon to land on western Japan, feared to disrupt holiday traffic

TOKYO. KAZINFORM Typhoon Krosa is set to make landfall in western Japan on Thursday, prompting airlines and railway operators to announce reduced services in regions near the powerful storm's path despite a rush of holidaymakers returning home.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Wednesday the typhoon has somewhat weakened from the day before, but could still bring rainfall of over 1,000 millimeters in some eastern and western areas facing the Pacific, Kyodo News reports.

Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. said they will cancel a total of some 100 flights in all Wednesday to and from all areas of the southwestern main island of Kyushu.

On Thursday, West Japan Railway Co. will suspend almost all of its shinkansen bullet train services. Services between Shin-Osaka and Kokura will be canceled while those on Kyushu between Kokura and Hakata will be significantly reduced, the company said.

Central Japan Railway Co., an operator of shinkansen services between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, and Kyushu Railway Co. said they will cut the number of their bullet trains Thursday.

Shikoku Railway Co. said it will start canceling some of its train runs Wednesday and plans to entirely suspend services in its service area on the western main island on Thursday.

The season's 10th typhoon with an atmospheric pressure of 965 hectopascals at its center was packing winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the agency said.