Japan on High Alert: Typhoon Shanshan brings strong winds, high waves as ’Category 2 Hurricane’ moves toward Kyushu

Japan issued its highest emergency alert as Typhoon Shanshan barrels toward the southern island of Kyushu, with the very strong storm set to bring heavy rain before making landfall.

Shanshan has maximum sustained winds of 95 knots (176 kilometers) an hour near its center and is expected to intensify as it approaches Kyushu on Thursday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The storm is currently equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

Japan’s weather bureau issued its highest emergency alert for Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu, warning people of the typhoon’s strong winds and high waves. The southern part of the island may get 600 millimeters (24 inches) of rain over the 24 hours through to 12 p.m local time on Thursday.

Shanshan has been churning toward Japan at a slow pace this week, leading to long periods of rain and wind across impacted areas, the weather agency said. Maximum sustained winds are forecast to increase to 100 knots, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane, which is considered a major storm.

Kyushu Electric Power Co., which provides power to the region, said it will halt two units at its Ohira pumped-storage power station on Thursday. More than 13,000 buildings in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures have been hit by power outages, according to Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co.

The storm is impacting some manufacturers. Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend operations at all 14 of its plants from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning, a spokesperson for the company said. The automaker will decide whether to restart operations after Thursday morning, the spokesperson said.

Transport operators are already taking precautionary measures. Japan Airlines Co. said it would cancel 110 domestic flights on Wednesday, and a further 60 on Thursday. All Nippon Airways Co. said more than 200 flights will be canceled between Wednesday and Friday.

Kyushu Railway Co. said it would adjust some local services between Wednesday and Thursday. Central Japan Railway Co. said the Tokaido bullet train may be impacted from Thursday into the weekend depending on the path of the storm— the service connects Tokyo, the capital, on the neighboring main island of Honshu, to western parts of the country.