Typhoon Shanshan tracker: Three dead and 600 flights cancelled as powerful storm makes landfall in Japan

Prime minister Fumio Kishida called for urgent action from ministers while prioritising public safety.

“Please continue to put people’s safety first and cooperate closely with local authorities to take all possible measures to keep the public informed, support evacuation in advance in areas where danger is anticipated, and maintain a well-prepared disaster response centred on the police, fire department, and Self-Defense Forces,” he said at a meeting, according to the Japan Times.

Japanese officials are continuing to assess the scale of damage from heavy rainfall, wind gusts and landslides with the number of people known to have been injured steadily rising.

As of Thursday evening local time, that tally stands at 74, while one person is missing due to the storm, according to NHK.

Out of these, 30 were in Miyazaki, 23 in Kagoshima, six in Nagasaki, four in Kumamoto and Saga, two in Fukuoka and Oita and one in Mie.

The death toll still stands at 3.

More than 5.2 million people have been issued evacuation notices across the country, authorities said, as Typhoon Shanshan brought historic rainfall, destructive winds and landslides.

Scores of houses were damaged with dozens of people injured with three confirmed dead.

A level 4 evacuation order is currently in place for parts of Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Ehime, Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka and Mie either due to the risk of heavy rainfall, flooding or landslides. The maximum strength of the orders is level 5.

Typhoon Shanshan has caused significant damage to homes and properties after making landfall in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima.

The powerful storm hit the city of Satsuma Sendai early Thursday, bringing violent winds and torrential rains that have devastated the region.

In Miyazaki City, over 160 buildings suffered damage, including 69 residential properties and 35 commercial structures, according to Japan Times.

Residents in the Shirokase area of Miyazaki reported sudden, fierce winds that shattered windows and caused injuries.

At least three deaths have been confirmed so far and dozens were hurt.

However, more than 250,000 households across seven prefectures remained without power.

There’s also a risk that typhoon’s winds are strong enough to potentially cause structural damage to some houses.

Typhoon Shanshan has been downgraded and emergency warnings for storms and high waves have come down from the highest alert level across much of Kyushu prefecture after it made landfall there at 8am this morning.

However, despite the downgrade, residents were urged to take precautions with forecasts showing historic rainfall.

Over the past 48 hours, some areas have been hit with more than 700mm (about 27.5 inches) of torrential rain.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency warned that certain areas could see a total of 1,000mm (about 39 inches) of rain over the next couple of days.

The JMA warns that additional heavy rain clouds are likely to form over large parts of Kyushu, as well as in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Shikoku region, through Friday.

This increases the risk of rain-related disasters.

The latest forecasts show Typhoon Shanshan will continue moving northwards through Japan, making its way to Tokyo by the weekend.

The storm is moving at a speed of 15km/h and is expected to hover over Kyushu before making its way towards central and eastern Japan.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida called for urgent action from ministers while prioritising public safety.

“Please continue to put people’s safety first and cooperate closely with local authorities to take all possible measures to keep the public informed, support evacuation in advance in areas where danger is anticipated, and maintain a well-prepared disaster response centred on the police, fire department, and Self-Defense Forces,” he said at a meeting, according to the Japan Times.