Typhoon Muifa brought heavy rain and strong winds to a group of islands near Okinawa Prefecture's main island on Monday, the weather agency said, with its sluggish progress expected to cause disruption to the islands into Wednesday.
The Meteorological Agency warned of powerful winds and rough seas, as well as landslides and overflowing rivers as a result of the heavy rainfall. It also said strong winds and stormy conditions capable of damaging homes could continue into Tuesday.
The storm, which the agency downgraded from a very powerful typhoon to a powerful one Monday, was slowly heading north toward the East China Sea and passed over Ishigaki Island at around noon.