Japan Issues Special Typhoon Alert For Kagoshima Pref.

TOKYO, Aug 28 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan's weather agency issued a rare special typhoon warning on Wednesday for most parts of Kagoshima Prefecture in the country's southwest as powerful Typhoon Shanshan approaches, Kyodo News Agency reported.

The storm is heading in a northerly direction south of Yakushima Island off the prefecture and could make landfall on the southwestern main island of Kyushu on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Expecting disruptions, Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to suspend its plants nationwide and railway operators announced the cancellation of some services.

Residents have been warned to prepare for strong winds and high waves, with the weather agency urging people to be ready to evacuate before conditions worsen. The agency said the typhoon could pack winds capable of destroying some residences.

As much as 600 millimetres of rain over 24 hours has been forecasted in some areas. The storm's sluggish pace could increase the danger posed as areas may be repeatedly struck by strong winds and heavy rains, the agency said.

Toyota's 14 plants will be suspended from late Wednesday afternoon, the company said, while Kyushu Railway Co. said it will cancel all of its local train and bullet train services from Thursday afternoon.

Special typhoon warnings are declared in cases of extraordinarily large storm systems. The same warning was issued for Kagoshima Prefecture in 2022 as Typhoon Nanmadol approached, which was at that time a first for any area other than Okinawa.

Separate emergency heavy rain warnings, indicating a life-threatening situation, could also be released for both Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, the agency said.

As of 3 pm local time, the typhoon was traveling slowly around 50 kilometres southwest of Yakushima Island, according to the weather agency. It had an atmospheric pressure of 935 hectopascals at its centre and was packing winds of up to 252 kilometres per hour.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO