Severe Tropical Storm Jangmi swept across Japan on Wednesday morning, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds that disrupted transportation networks, affected business operations and left tens of thousands of households without electricity, according to Reuters.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the storm’s centre was located off the coast of Honshu, the country’s main central island, and was moving northeast toward the greater Tokyo area.
The agency reported maximum sustained winds of up to 25 metres (82 feet) per second and warned that parts of the Pacific coastline face a growing threat of “life-threatening disasters.”
The storm was recorded with a central pressure of 980 hectopascals (hPa), while government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said nearly 60,000 households had already lost power as a result of the severe weather.
“If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives,” Kihara said.
Authorities issued evacuation advisories to hundreds of thousands of residents across eight prefectures in southwestern, central and eastern regions of Japan as the storm intensified.
Air travel was heavily affected, with airlines including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelling nearly 900 domestic and international flights by Wednesday morning.
Rail services also experienced disruptions. Several bullet train routes in Kyushu and western Japan reported delays, while East Japan Railway announced the suspension of some train operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area and warned that additional services could be impacted throughout the day.
Major manufacturers took precautionary measures in anticipation of worsening conditions. Toyota Motor announced on Tuesday that it would temporarily halt operations at 13 plants across Japan on Wednesday morning. Suzuki Motor also suspended activities at all five of its factories in Shizuoka Prefecture, located west of Tokyo, during the morning hours.
