Heavy rainfall, lashing winds Strong typhoon hits Japan - dozens injured

Japan has always lived with forces of nature such as earthquakes and typhoons. Now a powerful hurricane has made landfall. The authorities are warning residents of the dangers.

A powerful typhoon has hit Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu, battering the region with heavy rain and lashing winds. As reported by Japanese television station NHK, at least 54 people suffered injuries.

A man in his 60s fell from a small boat into the sea in the heavy swell off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, it said. He was initially thought to be missing. The national weather authority warned residents of the region of the dangers posed by the hurricane.

Hundreds of thousands of households without power

The power went out in 250,000 households, as reported by the television station NHK. In the city of Nagasaki, almost 400,000 people were called upon to seek safety. Train services were interrupted and numerous flights were canceled.

According to media reports, car manufacturer Toyota decided to halt the operation of 28 production lines at all of its 14 domestic assembly plants until Friday. The decision was made in consideration of employee safety and possible parts shortages caused by the typhoon.

Typhoon continues to move across archipelago

Meanwhile, "Shanshan", the tenth typhoon of the season, continues to move northwards. According to NHK, the cyclone is expected to move across the entire archipelago over the next few days.

The typhoon made landfall in the morning near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture and was moving north at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour with winds of up to 216 kilometers per hour, the agency said.