Japan issues special warning over typhoon Shanshan

The Japan Meteorological Agency on Wednesday issued emergency warnings for wind storms and high waves for most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, as powerful Typhoon as Shanshan approaches the region. At a press conference in Tokyo, a weather agency official said that unprecedented strong winds, high waves, and high tides are expected, calling for the maximum alert. "Extremely strong winds are expected, which may cause some houses to collapse. In areas expected to be flooded by high tides or areas at risk of landslides, it is important to evacuate before the storm starts to blow, so if you have not yet evacuated, please make the decision to evacuate immediately," the official urged evacuations for those residents in the affected areas of Kagoshima Prefecture, some 1,300 km southwest of Tokyo. As of 2:00 pm (05:00 GMT), the season's 10th typhoon was traveling 50 km southwest of Yakushima Island off Kagoshima Prefecture, moving slowly northward with gusts of up to 250 per hour (kph), the wea ther agency said, adding that it may make landfall on the southern main island of Kyushu on Thursday. Airlines canceled more than 190 flights as of afternoon, mainly on routes to and from airports in Kyushu Island, affecting about 10,000 passengers. Kyushu Japan Railway Co. said it plans to cancel or reduce train services starting from later in the day. Source: Kuwait News Agency