More than five million people in Japan have been ordered to evacuate as one of the most powerful typhoons in decades, Typhoon Shanshan, slams the country.
The storm has already claimed at least four lives and injured over 80, with hundreds of thousands left without electricity.
Though Typhoon Shanshan has now weakened to a severe tropical storm, it continues to move northeast, bringing torrential rain and causing significant disruption to transportation services.
The majority of evacuation orders are in effect on the southern island of Kyushu, but some have extended to central Japan.
Tragedy struck late Tuesday when a landslide in central Japan, ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, claimed the lives of three family members—a couple in their 70s and a man in his 30s—in Gamagori.
Their home was swept away, while two other female relatives were rescued.
On Thursday, police confirmed a fourth fatality: an 80-year-old man from Tokushima prefecture who was trapped when a roof collapsed around 17:30 local time (08:30 GMT).
He was rescued by the fire brigade but later died in the hospital. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) recorded 110mm of rainfall in the area around the time of the incident.
Shanshan made landfall in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu at around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT), according to the JMA.
The agency issued a rare “special warning” for this exceptionally violent storm, alerting the public to the dangers of landslides, flooding, and widespread damage.
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Winds reached up to 252 km/h (157 mph) on the island.
Videos circulating online capture the storm’s fury, with large trees swaying, tiles flying off roofs, and debris scattered as heavy rains battered the region.
In response to the storm, major automakers such as Toyota and Nissan shut down their plants, citing concerns for employee safety and potential parts shortages.
Hundreds of flights to and from southern Japan have been canceled, and several high-speed train services have been suspended.
The JMA predicts that the storm will continue its path across Japan over the weekend, potentially reaching Tokyo.
Special typhoon warnings, like the one issued for Shanshan, are rare and reserved for extraordinarily powerful storms.
A similar warning was last issued in September 2022, marking the first time such an alert was declared for a region other than Okinawa.
Shanshan follows Typhoon Ampil earlier this month, which caused minor injuries and damage but still disrupted hundreds of flights and trains.
Prior to that, Tropical Storm Maria brought record rainfall to northern Japan when it struck Honshu island.
Recent studies suggest that climate change is causing typhoons in the region to form closer to coastlines, intensify more rapidly, and last longer over land.
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