Powerful Typhoon Trami has made landfall in the western Japanese prefecture of Wakayama with devastating winds and torrential rains, as nearly 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes, local media reported.
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Trami made landfall around the city of Tanabe, about 500 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, at around 8pm local time, the Meteorological Agency said.
At least one person was missing and dozens injured as the season's 24th typhoon hit the southern islands of Okinawa and Kyushu from Saturday, toppling trees and inundating some residential areas, broadcaster NHK reported.
About 350,000 lost electricity on Okinawa, Kyushu and the south-western island of Shikoku, according to local power companies.
The storm forced airlines to cancel about 1180 flights, and many train services, including high-speed Shinkansen bullet trains, have been suspended, according to NHK.
Trami is expected to cross Japan overnight with forecasters warning of record-breaking winds, landslides, floods and storm surges in wide areas of the country.
The storm could generate waves up to 13 metres high around Shikoku and the regions of Tokai and Kinki, they added.
As of 8pm, the eye of the storm was around Tanabe City, travelling northeast at 50km/h with maximum sustained winds of 162km/h and gusts of 216km/h, the Meteorological Agency said.
Typhoon Jebi, the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years, pummelled western Japan in early September, leaving 11 people dead and more than 600 others injured.
Trami is likely to be as powerful as Jebi, or it could be more powerful, Meteorological Agency official Yasushi Kajiwara told a news conference on Saturday.
In recent months, Japan has suffered its deadliest weather-related disasters in more than three decades.
In July, torrential rains triggered landslides and floods in the west, killing more than 220 people and destroying homes and roads.
A heatwave that enveloped the country immediately afterwards left more than 130 dead from heatstroke.
Australian Associated Press
