Shanshan, which on land was one of the fiercest typhoons to hit Japan in decades, hit Kyushu island on Thursday but its speed was reduced to 90 kilometres per hour from 252 kph. The typhoon killed at least six people and injured more than 120, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Downgraded to a tropical storm, Shanshan was off the western Wakayama region on Saturday and moving east. About 60 domestic flights were canceled for Saturday, affecting nearly 7,200 passengers. Shinkansen bullet trains in the central city of Nagoya were also suspended.
"Please remain vigilant for landslides, floods and overflowing rivers," the Japan Meteorological Agency warned. A town in the central Gifu region issued the highest evacuation warning to its 2,000 residents near an overflowing river, while some towns in northern Hokkaido island experienced heavy rain. More than 32,000 households in the southern region of Kagoshima, where Shanshan made landfall on Thursday, still have no electricity.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the risk of heavy rain in Japan and elsewhere because a warmer atmosphere holds more water. Heavy rain in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the central resort town of Atami that killed 27 people. And in 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in western Japan during the country's annual rainy season. | BGNES
