TOKYO - Typhoon Jangmi on Wednesday ripped through the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan after making landfall in the morning, causing flooding and mudslides and leaving dozens of people injured.
The typhoon made landfall around 4:30 a.m. in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, after it passed near Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures the past two days.
At one point, the weather agency issued its highest level 5 flood warning for the Koza River in Wakayama Prefecture, meaning the situation was life-threatening and people needed to ensure their safety immediately.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 injuries were reported in six prefectures, including Aichi and Nara, with 17 having occurred in Okinawa as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Even though Koza River began overflowing its banks, the level 5 emergency flooding warning for the river was downgraded at 8:50 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In Shizuoka Prefecture, a landslide occurred around 11 a.m., sending mud onto a railway line, but no one was injured as services had already been suspended for the day, according to local police and the railway operator.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government had received reports of flooded roads, toppled trees and landslides from Kyushu to the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, as the typhoon brought heavy rain over a wide area.
Heavy rain continued in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the morning, with authorities issuing flood danger warnings for several rivers in the capital. The warnings mean people in hazardous areas should be ready to evacuate and may need to leave even before local authorities issue evacuation instructions.
The year's sixth typhoon also disrupted public transportation, with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelling all morning domestic flights at Tokyo's Haneda airport, as well as some international flights. Some JR limited express train services linking the Tokyo area with other regions were also suspended.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said a total of 5,378 schools and universities in 23 of Japan's 47 prefectures were closed for the day.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the typhoon was located over the Pacific around 190 kilometers east of Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, moving east northeast at a speed of 50 kph, according to the weather agency. The typhoon is forecast to advance eastward and weaken to an extratropical depression.
