TOKYO - A large typhoon moved westward toward Japan's southwestern islands on Friday, with the weather agency warning of heavy rain and gales in the Okinawa, Amami and southern Kyushu regions through the weekend.
Kumamoto Prefecture, which was rocked last week by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, may be hit by powerful winds and rain from Friday through Saturday. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of the potential of landslides as the ground remains unstable following the temblor.
Rainfall in the 24 hours through noon Saturday could total up to 200 millimeters in the Okinawa and Amami regions, and 180 mm in southern Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, Typhoon Dolphin, the year's 13th typhoon, was moving west-southwest at 25 kph near Nago in Okinawa Prefecture. It had an atmospheric pressure of 940 hectopascals at its center and was packing gusts of up to 198 kph.
