Typhoon Nanmadol Hits Western Japan

Tokyo, July 4 (Jiji Press)--Heavy rain lashed many areas in Japan on Tuesday as a strong typhoon hit the Shikoku and Kinki western regions after crossing the northern part of the Kyushu southwestern region. Typhoon Nanmadol, the third typhoon this year, made landfall near the southwestern city of Nagasaki in northern Kyushu around 8 a.m. (11 p.m. Monday GMT). The typhoon then reached near Uwajima in Ehime Prefecture around noon and traveled across Shikoku. After arriving near Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, around 5 p.m., it crossed the Kii Peninsula and headed east off the Pacific coast of the Tokai central region. The typhoon is expected to reach the sea east of the Kanto eastern region early Wednesday morning. At the same time, the seasonal rainy front became more active from the Hokuriku central region to the Tohoku northeastern region. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of heavy rain, strong winds and high waves through Wednesday morning. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, a man in his 60s suffered a bone fracture after falling into a drain in Itoigawa in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan. A woman in her 70s in Saiki in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, may have broken a bone as she fell down due to strong winds. The typhoon forced Japan Airlines <9201> and All Nippon Airways to cancel a total of 61 flights, mainly those serving the Kyushu region, on Tuesday, affecting about 3,500 people. Kyushu Railway Co. <9142>, or JR Kyushu, briefly suspended high-speed train operations on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line in the morning due to strong winds. Landslides occurred in many parts of Niigata Prefecture, prompting evacuation advisories in some areas. Landslide warnings were issued to some areas in Ehime, Tottori, Kyoto, Gifu, Ishikawa, Toyama and Nagano prefectures. In Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, in the Kyushu region, rainfall of 81.5 millimeters was recorded in one hour through around 10:20 a.m. Owase, Mie Prefecture, western Japan, had rainfall of 68.0 millimeters in one hour through around 5:40 p.m. A maximum instantaneous wind speed of 45.0 meters per second was marked around 2:50 p.m. at Cape Muroto in Kochi Prefecture, western Japan. The typhoon, which had a central atmospheric pressure of 992 hectopascals, was moving east-northeast at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour above the sea some 30 kilometers east of Owase at 6 p.m. END