• A man walks through debris of damaged houses by a tornado caused by typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. EPA
    A man walks through debris of damaged houses by a tornado caused by typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. EPA
  • A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing Typhoon Hagibis spinning toward the north-northwest over the western Pacific Ocean as its outer cloud bands near Japan. EPA
    A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing Typhoon Hagibis spinning toward the north-northwest over the western Pacific Ocean as its outer cloud bands near Japan. EPA
  • Men watch the swollen Isuzu River due to heavy rain caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ise, central Japan. Reuters
    Men watch the swollen Isuzu River due to heavy rain caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ise, central Japan. Reuters
  • An empty road leading into Shiroko, Suzuka, Japan, seen in heavy rain ahead of Typhoon Hagibis. Reuters
    An empty road leading into Shiroko, Suzuka, Japan, seen in heavy rain ahead of Typhoon Hagibis. Reuters
  • Surging waves generated by Typhoon Hagibis hit against a breakwater at a port in the town of Kiho, Mie Prefecture, Japan. EPA
    Surging waves generated by Typhoon Hagibis hit against a breakwater at a port in the town of Kiho, Mie Prefecture, Japan. EPA
  • Japan's rugby team player Jiwon Koo, carries teammate James Moore in a flooded walkway at a stadium in Tokyo as the team practices ahead of their match against Scotland. AP
    Japan's rugby team player Jiwon Koo, carries teammate James Moore in a flooded walkway at a stadium in Tokyo as the team practices ahead of their match against Scotland. AP
  • A man sleeps next to an airline counter at the domestic terminal of Haneda Airport, after flights were suspended due to Typhoon Hagibis in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    A man sleeps next to an airline counter at the domestic terminal of Haneda Airport, after flights were suspended due to Typhoon Hagibis in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • A railway passenger watches a display showing information about Typhoon Hagibis at Shinjuku railway station in Tokyo, Japan. EPA
    A railway passenger watches a display showing information about Typhoon Hagibis at Shinjuku railway station in Tokyo, Japan. EPA
  • Pedestrians using umbrellas struggle against rain and wind in Tokyo. EPA
    Pedestrians using umbrellas struggle against rain and wind in Tokyo. EPA
  • A taxi speeds through water covering a road in the Aoyama district of Tokyo, as the effects of Typhoon Hagibis is started to be felt in Japan's capital. AFP
    A taxi speeds through water covering a road in the Aoyama district of Tokyo, as the effects of Typhoon Hagibis is started to be felt in Japan's capital. AFP
  • Rescuers on a boat patrol the residential area flooded by Typhoon Hagibis, in Ise, central Japan. AP
    Rescuers on a boat patrol the residential area flooded by Typhoon Hagibis, in Ise, central Japan. AP
  • Formula One fan Kazuki Yoshida, 31, from Chiba Prefecture, who evacuated from Typhoon Hagibis, rests at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
    Formula One fan Kazuki Yoshida, 31, from Chiba Prefecture, who evacuated from Typhoon Hagibis, rests at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
  • Spectators who evacuate from Typhoon Hagibis, gather at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
    Spectators who evacuate from Typhoon Hagibis, gather at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
  • Destroyed house and vehicle are seen following a strong wind in Ichihara, Chiba, near Tokyo. Tokyo and surrounding areas braced for a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades, with streets and trains stations unusually quiet Saturday as rain poured over the city. AP
    Destroyed house and vehicle are seen following a strong wind in Ichihara, Chiba, near Tokyo. Tokyo and surrounding areas braced for a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades, with streets and trains stations unusually quiet Saturday as rain poured over the city. AP
  • Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • A woman walks in the rain at a pedestrian crossing near Osaka Station as Typhoon Hagibis approaches Osaka, Japan. Reuters
    A woman walks in the rain at a pedestrian crossing near Osaka Station as Typhoon Hagibis approaches Osaka, Japan. Reuters

Asia

One dead as Typhoon Hagibis set to make landfall in Japan

The powerful typhoon was set to make landfall late on Saturday, bringing with it the heaviest rain and winds in 60 years

Reuters

October 12, 2019

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One man died and more than a million in Japan were advised to evacuate as a powerful typhoon was set to make landfall late on Saturday, bringing with it the heaviest rain and winds in 60 years.

A man in his forties was killed in an overturned car early on Saturday in Chiba prefecture east of Tokyo, where high winds were reported, according to public broadcaster NHK. Four people were injured, also in Chiba, as winds blew roofs off several houses.

A number of municipal governments issued evacuation advisories to areas particularly at risk of floods and landslides, including some in the most populous greater Tokyo region, NHK said.

Typhoon Hagibis, which means "speed" in the Philippine language Tagalog, is due to make landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu late on Saturday, a month after one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country in recent years destroyed or damaged 30,000 houses and caused extensive power outages.

More than 16,000 households have lost power, including 7,200 in Chiba, the industry ministry said.

The Defense Ministry set up a new Twitter account to disseminate information on disaster relief efforts.

Stores, factories and subway systems have been shut down as a precaution, while Japanese Formula One Grand Prix organisers cancelled all practice and qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday.

Thousands of homes in Tokyo and the surrounding areas lost electricity, though in some cases only briefly, with crews working to reconnect people as quickly as possible.

Automakers, including Toyota and Honda, have shut down their factories, and many supermarkets and convenience stores in the capital have closed, a day after residents shopping for typhoon supplies emptied the shelves.

Two matches of the Rugby World Cup due to be played on Saturday were also cancelled.

More than 1,600 flights have been cancelled. Narita international airport near Tokyo stopped accepting flights from 11 am (2 am GMT) as trains connecting to cities were suspended.

Storm surges continue to hit the Pacific coast of Honshu on Saturday and Sunday, as are torrential rain, causing floods and landslides.

Typhoon Ida, known as the "Kanogawa Typhoon" in Japanese, killed more than 1,000 people in 1958.

Japan is hit by around 20 typhoons a year, though the capital is not usually badly affected.

Hagibis is bearing down on the region just weeks after Typhoon Faxai hit the area with similar strength, killing two and causing major damage in Chiba.