Japan braces for powerful typhoon

Tokyo, Sep 2 (IANS) Japan's weather agency on Wednesday said a powerful typhoon is making its way from the Nagasaki region to the northern part of the country's main island of Kyushu.Typhoon Maysak, which has already pummeled the Okinawa prefecture and injured eight people, is moving north at a speed of 15 km per hour, Xinhua news agency quoted the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as saying.According to the agency, the powerful storm has a central atmospheric pressure of 940 hectopascals and is packing winds at its core of up to 162 km per hour.Maysak's maximum instantaneous wind velocity was clocked at 234 km per hour, the JMA said, warning people to be vigilant for gusty winds, high waves, storm surges, as well as possible landslides, flooding and swollen rivers.The Shinkansen bullet train services have been temporarily suspended between Hiroshima and Hakata stations.The JMA said the typhoon will likely to continue on a northern trajectory towards the northern area of Kyushu through Thursday, with unstable atmospheric conditions in western Japan leading to thunderstorms and torrential downpours.Through Thursday, Kyushu, Shikoku and Tokai regions are likely to be lashed by downpours of up to 80 mm per hour while also being struck by thunderstorms, the JMA said.The weather agency also said for the 24 hours through Thursday morning, up to 300 mm of rain is expected in the Shikoku region, and as much as 250 mm in Kyushu and Tokai.
--IANS ksk/