Typhoon Shanshan flies over Japan, dumping heavy rains

Typhoon Shanshan has become a tropical storm after hitting the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu, with the government continuing to warn that landslides could be triggered by heavy rains as the weather system slowly makes its way across the country in the coming days .

Shanshan was located near the city of Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture and was moving north as of 5:00 p.m. JST, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Some areas of Kyushu saw record rainfall of more than 800 millimeters (31 inches) in the 72 hours to 3pm on Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Three people were reported dead and one person was missing from the typhoon, which made landfall early Thursday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference.

A weather bureau official on Wednesday described Shanshan as a “rare typhoon” in terms of its strength.

Power plants in Kyushu and the Kansai region were affected by the storm, with several units planning to operate at reduced power. More than 190,000 buildings in Kyushu’s seven prefectures were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co.

Kyushu is also home to semiconductor chip manufacturers. Renesas Electronics Corp. has suspended operations at its two factories in Matsumoto but plans to restart them on Friday. The company said its facilities in Oita and Ehime prefectures were also affected. Tokyo Electron Ltd. said it would shut down its Kumamoto plant on Thursday and Friday. Murata Manufacturing Co. said it would suspend operations at some factories.

Affected car manufacturers

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to keep all of its factories in the country closed until Friday, according to a spokesman. Daihatsu Motor Co. will halt operations at several factories, local broadcaster TBS reported. Nissan Motor Co. shutdown two factories in Kyushu from Thursday morning to Friday morning. Honda Motor Co. suspended a plant for Thursday and Friday, and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it would halt operations at its factory in Okayama Prefecture on Friday.

Mazda Motor Corp. said it would shut down its factories in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures from Thursday evening until Friday evening. Yamaha Motor Co. said it would suspend its facilities in Kumamoto Prefecture from Thursday to Friday.

The transport was interrupted by the storm. Japan Airlines Co. said it had canceled 280 flights for Friday, while All Nippon Airways Co. canceled more than 600 flights between Wednesday and Saturday. Kyushu Railway Co. said it would suspend or adjust the schedule for some bullet train services in the region between Thursday and Friday.

Central Japan Railway Co. said the Tokaido bullet train – which connects Tokyo to the western part of the country – would not run between Mishima and Nagoya on Friday. Services may be affected over the weekend depending on the typhoon’s track, the operator said.

Top photo: A man holds his umbrella in the wind outside Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan on August 29, 2024. Photographer: Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP/Getty Images.

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