Powerful typhoon nears southern Japan islands

TOKYO:   Japan’s climate agency said upon Tuesday (Aug 30) “very strong” typhoon Hinnamnor was getting close to several remote the southern part of islands, prompting alerts for local inhabitants to seek shelter just before it becomes too harmful.

Upon Tuesday evening, the typhoon was in Pacific waters south of Japan, 340km east-northeast of Minami Daito island, one of a string of remote control isles that make up the Okinawa region, according to the Japan Meteorological Company.

Packing gusts up to 252kmh, it had been moving west at a speed of 30kmh, and is expected to endanger the islands from Wednesday evening through Friday.

Some of the islands are remote along with only several hundred residents, but the area as a whole has about 1 . 4 million people, and the Okinawa mainland hosts the majority of the US military angles in Japan.

The weather agency desires the storm will certainly strengthen to the top category “violent” from Wednesday night, with gusts as much as 270kmh.

The intense winds through Wednesday may cause “some houses to collapse”, the Okinawa unit of the national weather agency said.

Heavy rain and high waves will also hit the region.

“Please exercise serious caution for violent wind. Take preventive steps such as shifting to strong structures before strong winds begin, ” the particular agency said.

Japan is currently in typhoon season and it is hit by about 20 such thunder or wind storms a year, routinely viewing heavy rains that cause landslides or even flash floods.