Torrential rain hit western Japan on Monday morning as a major typhoon made landfall in central Japan, prompting the weather agency to warn of “unprecedented heavy rain” and urge people to take safety precautions.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a “special warning” in three western Japan prefectures of Fukui, Kyoto and Shiga, in the first such issuance since the warning system was introduced late last month.
Local authorities issued evacuation orders to a total of more than 30,000 residents in Kyoto, Shiga, Hyogo and Mie prefectures, including some 81,000 in Fukuchiyama in Kyoto Prefecture.
In eastern Japan, gusts in Saitama and Gunma prefectures broke windows and caused other damage.
The central government formed an information liaison office within the crisis management center at the prime minister’s official residence on Monday morning.
Typhoon Man-yi made a landfall shortly before 8 a.m. near Toyohashi in the central Japan prefecture of Aichi.
As of 8 a.m., the typhoon, the 18th of the year, was moving north-northeast at a speed of 45 km per hour. It had an atmospheric pressure of 970 hectopascals at its center, with gusts of up to 162 kph.
The typhoon is expected to move through eastern and northeastern Japan before reaching waters off the northeastern coast of Sanriku on Monday night.
The heavy rainfall and gusts caused suspension of shinkansen services of parts of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line as well as those of the Joetsu and Nagano Shinkansen lines.
