A powerful typhoon named Shanshan made landfall near Satsumasendai city in southwestern Kyushu, Japan, bringing gusts of up to 252 km/h and heavy rain. Dozens of people were injured and power was cut to a quarter of a million households. One person was reported missing and 39 injured in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures. A Level 5 emergency warning was issued in Oita Prefecture due to the Miyakawa River bursting its banks. Over 250,000 households lost power across seven prefectures on the island. The storm is expected to move through central and eastern Japan, including Tokyo.
Three people were killed in a landslide caused by the typhoon in Gamagori on Tuesday. Carmaker Toyota suspended production at all 14 of its factories in Japan, while Nissan and Honda halted operations at their Kyushu plants. Japan Airlines and ANA cancelled hundreds of domestic flights, and some rail services were affected. This is the third major storm to hit Japan this month.
Typhoons in the region are forming closer to coastlines and intensifying more rapidly due to climate change, according to a recent study. Authorities are warning of the escalating risk of disasters due to heavy rain in western Japan as the storm continues to move through the country. Evacuation orders have been issued for millions of people, and the situation remains critical as the storm progresses.
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