Typhoon heads to northeast Japan after lashing south

TOKYO - A powerful typhoon is heading northeast to Japan's main island of Honshu on Sunday after lashing parts of the country's southern islands with heavy rains and winds that caused flooding and some minor injuries.

Typhoon Tapah was passing near Nagasaki in southern Japan on Sunday afternoon, after hitting other parts of southern Japan, including Okinawa, the two previous days.

Okinawa prefectural government had issued an evacuation advisory to nearly 334,000 people.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the storm was moving northeast at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, with maximum winds of 162 km/h.

It was on course to travel through the channel between Japan and the Korean Peninsula before moving toward northern Japan on Monday, when it is expected to weaken and be downgraded, the agency said.

The storm prompted cancellations of more than 400 domestic flights, according to national broadcaster NHK.

The typhoon hit Okinawa on Friday and Saturday and left 21 people with minor injuries. The storm disrupted air and train travel in the region during what is a three-day weekend.

In Nobeoka City in Miyazaki prefecture, a tornado believed to have been triggered by the typhoon damaged at least one house and injured two people slightly, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The winds blew a cargo container into an electricity tower, causing power loss to some train stations in the area.

The city postponed Sunday's entrance exam for city employees due to the typhoon.

The approaching typhoon also caused fears in parts of Chiba, near Tokyo, which was hit hard by another typhoon earlier this month. That typhoon damaged many houses and electric poles, causing widespread blackouts in the prefecture and triggering criticism and concern about aging infrastructure systems in the country.

Cleanup and power restoration efforts continued on Sunday in parts of Chiba.

Tapah followed on the trail of Typhoon Faxai, which barreled through Tokyo earlier this month, packing record winds that brought down power lines, caused travel chaos and disrupted Rugby World Cup preparations.

It resulted in a lengthy blackout on the outskirts of Tokyo that left tens of thousands of people without power for more than a week.

AP - AFP