Typhoon Shanshan brought heavy rain and powerful winds to southwest Japan on Thursday (29 August), causing significant disruptions and damage. The storm, one of the strongest to hit the region in recent years, left at least three people dead, one missing, two severely injured, and five with minor injuries, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The typhoon, with gusts reaching up to 50 meters per second (180 km/h or 112 mph), was located near Unzen city in Nagasaki Prefecture at 1:45 p.m. (0445 GMT) on Thursday (29 August). Moving north at approximately 15 km/h, the storm initially made landfall near Satsumasendai city on the southwestern island of Kyushu. Authorities had issued warnings that Shanshan could be one of the most powerful storms ever to impact the region, leading local governments to order the evacuation of millions of residents across several prefectures.
The storm’s slow movement has raised concerns about the cumulative rainfall, with Hayashi noting that the “total amount of rain could be rather big.” Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of extensive damage in Miyazaki city, southern Kyushu, where strong winds tore down walls and shattered windows, leaving debris scattered across streets and hanging from utility poles.
The typhoon disrupted daily life across the region, with more than 250,000 households in seven prefectures left without power by the afternoon. Kyushu Electric Power Co. reported that while many areas experienced blackouts, the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant remained unaffected. Major companies, including automakers Toyota and Nissan, were forced to suspend operations at some or all of their domestic factories due to the storm. Chipmaker Renesas also temporarily halted production at four of its factories.
Air traffic was severely affected, with more than 600 domestic flights canceled by airlines such as ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines. Train services were suspended in many parts of Kyushu as well.
Typhoon Shanshan is expected to hover over Kyushu for several days before possibly moving towards central and eastern Japan, including the capital, Tokyo, around the weekend, according to the weather agency. This storm comes on the heels of Typhoon Ampil, which caused similar disruptions and evacuations earlier in the month. The frequency and intensity of such weather systems have raised concerns about the impact of climate change on Japan’s vulnerability to natural disasters.
References
