Tropical storm Jangmi batters Japan, cuts power to 60,000 homes
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A toppled tree amid rain from Typhoon Jangmi in Tokyo on June 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TOKYO - Severe tropical storm Jangmi ripped across Japan on the morning of June 3, with fierce winds and torrential rain disrupting transport and businesses, and knocking out power for tens of thousands of homes.
The storm’s centre lay off the central, main island of Honshu, tracking north-east towards the greater Tokyo region with maximum sustained winds of up to 25m per second, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said, adding that some areas along the Pacific coast are at an increasing risk of “life-threatening disasters”.
The storm, with a central pressure of 980 hectopascal – a unit of pressure commonly used in meteorology to describe atmospheric pressure – has cut power to nearly 60,000 households so far, government spokesman Minoru Kihara said during a regular press briefing.
“If you sense any danger, please do not hesitate to take early action to protect your lives,” Kihara said.
Evacuation advisories were issued to hundreds of thousands of residents in eight prefectures across south-western, central and eastern Japan.
Airlines including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways had cancelled nearly 900 international and domestic services on the morning of June 3.
A tourist walks through rain brought by Typhoon Jangmi in Tokyo on June 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Some bullet train services in Kyushu, in the south-west, and areas of western Japan were delayed, while East Japan Railway said that some rail services in the Tokyo area were suspended and more could be affected over the course of the day.
Bracing itself for severe weather conditions, automaker Toyota Motor said on June 2 that it would suspend operations at 13 domestic plants on the morning of June 3. Suzuki Motor was also halting work at all five plants in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo, in the morning. REUTERS
