Emergency storm warning issued as Kyushu braces for powerful Typhoon Shanshan

The Kyushu region is bracing for the likely landfall of the slow-moving but powerful Typhoon Shanshan, with emergency warnings in place for Kagoshima Prefecture and heavy rain lashing wide areas of Japan.
Shanshan, referred to by the weather agency as Typhoon No. 10, is expected to approach southern Kyushu on Thursday, possibly making landfall while still a very strong storm.
At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the weather agency issued an emergency storm warning and an emergency high tide warning for Kagoshima Prefecture, excluding the Amami region. Extremely strong winds — severe enough to cause some homes to collapse — are expected to hit the area, along with high tides that could lead to flooding in certain areas.
Later in the afternoon, a Level 5 emergency warning — the rarely issued highest level — was announced for Mishima village in Kagoshima Prefecture, home 369 people across 202 households. The alert level warns of a life-threatening situation and urges residents to take action to protect themselves immediately, even if they can no longer evacuate safely.
Level 4 evacuation orders were also issued in parts of Kagoshima, Miyazaki, Aichi and Shizuoka. Such orders were issued in 15 cities in Kagoshima Prefecture and at least 25 neighborhoods in the city of Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture.
Due to heavy rainfall and possible landslides, a Level 4 evacuation order was issued for 14 households in the Okuko area of Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, on Wednesday morning, after a landslide trapped five family members in the city. Two of those trapped have since been rescued.
Three cities in Shizuoka Prefecture are also under evacuation orders due to a possible landslide as a result of the heavy rainfall.
“To protect your life and the lives of your loved ones, please flee to evacuation areas specified by local authorities and secure your safety,” said Satoshi Sugimoto, an official at the weather agency, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Other warnings have also been issued for heavy rain and flooding, with high possibility that these will be upgraded to emergency warnings soon. A record amount of rainfall is expected in southern Kyushu.
The agency is urging residents to follow orders by local authorities and evacuate or take appropriate action before the typhoon makes landfall.
“Storms, tidal waves and storm surges like never experienced before are to be expected and will require the utmost caution,” Sugimoto said at an earlier news conference.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm, classified by the weather agency as “very strong,” was about 80 km south-southwest of Yakushima island, moving north at a slow pace. It had a central pressure of 935 hectopascals, sustained winds near its center of up to 180 kph and gusts of up to 252 kph.
After possible landfall on Thursday, the weather agenchy’s forecast track shows that typhoon may move northeast across Kyushu, with winds strong enough to cause some homes to collapse. Officials urged residents in the storm’s path to evacuate to sturdy buildings before it arrives, and to stay away from windows.

Southern Kyushu and the Amami region are projected to see sustained winds as strong as 180 kph on Wednesday and Thursday. Rainfall totals over the next 24 hours in the southern Kyushu region could reach about 600 millimeters, and in certain areas, a total of 1,000 mm could fall over the next couple of days.
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered related parties to work closely with local governments to ensure the evacuation of residents in areas expected see flooding or be affected by landslides.
The government held an emergency operations meeting for the typhoon on Wednesday, calling for cooperation among the land ministry and the weather agency with local municipalities to prepare for the worst.
“Further impacts are expected, so please make every effort to carefully disseminate information as early as possible to the public and to foreign travelers,” land minister Tetsuo Saito said at the emergency meeting.
“The typhoon is moving slowly and therefore its impact may be prolonged — we ask that we maintain and operate under extreme caution, make maximum use of the on-site capabilities of the land ministry and work closely with local governments to ensure a thorough disaster response.”
Typhoon Shanshan is characterized by its slow-moving nature and how wide the forecast circle is, with its exact path difficult to pin down.
Heavy rain is expected across the nation even in areas that are farther away from the storm.
A total of 171 dams around the country have reached the standard for pre-releasing water to prevent flooding. Water has already been released at 101 damns, and the process is under way at 70 others.
Kyushu Electric Power has been experiencing power outages for households across the southern region of Kyushu due to Shanshan’s impact, with over 13,000 homes in Kagoshima Prefecture without electricity as of 2:30 p.m Wednesday.
Transport services across Japan are bracing for major disruptions as Typhoon Shanshan approaches.
JR Kyushu will suspend its shinkansen services between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo stations starting at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, with the suspension lasting until at least Friday.
Service suspensions are also possible on Thursday between Hakata and Kumamoto stations on the Kyushu Shinkansen line, as well as across the entire West Kyushu Shinkansen line. The Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen lines are currently running at reduced speeds in some areas due to the storm, and could see suspensions depending the storm’s trajectory.
The Sanyo Shinkansen may face planned suspensions or significant delays from Thursday through Saturday night, while the Tokaido Shinkansen could experience similar disruptions from Friday into Saturday.
Local rail services across Kyushu are also feeling the storm’s impact, with many southern JR Kyushu lines, including the Kagoshima Line, and those operated by other companies, completely suspended.
Air travel has been hit hard as well, with thousands of passengers affected by cancellations. On Tuesday, 55 flights, mainly those bound for the Amami Islands and southern Kyushu, were canceled. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday, Japan Airlines had canceled 88 flights scheduled for Wednesday, while ANA canceled 10 and other carriers canceled 19 flights.
Highways are also expected to face extensive and prolonged closures due to Shanshan, with sections of the Tomei Expressway and Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures already shut down.