Powerful Typhoon Krosa is nearing Japan and is set to make landfall in the west of the country, the weather agency said Tuesday.
The Meteorological Agency said the season's 10th named storm was in the Pacific around 420 kilometers from the southwestern island of Tanegashima as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, and is expected to travel slowly through western regions on Wednesday and Thursday.
The agency warned of potential mudslides, floods and rising rivers in western and eastern areas, as Krosa is expected to bring torrential rains from Wednesday morning.
In the 24-hour period through 6 p.m. Wednesday, 300 millimeters of rain is forecast in the Tokai region, and the Kinki, Shikoku and Kyushu regions are expected to see about 200 mm.
The approach of the typhoon will coincide with a rush of vacationers returning from summer holidays.
Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. said they will cancel a total of around 100 flights Wednesday to and from Miyazaki and other prefectures in Kyushu, which will affect more than 8,000 people.
The organizer of the famed Awa Odori festival in Tokushima Prefecture said it will cancel Wednesday's performance due to the typhoon, the first such cancellation since 1996. The annual festival began Monday and is scheduled to last through Thursday.
Disaster management minister Junzo Yamamoto ordered ministries and government agencies to work closely with local governments in preparation for heavy rain.
The typhoon, with an atmospheric pressure of 965 hectopascals at its center, was packing winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, according to the agency.
West Japan Railway Co. said it may suspend shinkansen trains on Thursday, depending on the typhoon.
