Japan is being pounded by severe rain and wind as Typhoon Jebi sweeps across the island nation. This is the latest travel advice. One million people are being urged to evacuate after one person has been killed and five injured, reported local site Kyodo News. Kansai International Airport in the middle of Osaka Bay has been flooded and forced to close and a ship has crashed into a bridge linking the airport with the mainland. Televised footage showed waves hammering into the Japanese coastline and high tides are expected later today.

The typhoon was carrying strong winds of up to 162 kilometres per hour (100mph), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, and gusts of up to 206 kph was recorded in Wakayama. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated their travel advice to the region. “Typhoon Jebi is expected to pass through western Japan on 4 September 2018, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to wide areas of the Kansai region,” said the FCO. “North and Eastern regions of Japan are also likely to be affected on 4 and 5 September. Essential services including the transport network may be disrupted. “If you’re in the area, you should monitor the news and follow the advice of local authorities. Check the website of the Japan Meteorological Association for information in English.” They added: “Wide areas of central and western Japan were affected by flooding in July 2018. You should check transport information in case of disruption and follow the advice of local authorities while travelling in the area.”

Over 700 flights departing and arriving in western and central Japan have been cancelled by domestic airlines. All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. have cancelled 289 and 218 flights, respectively. Philippine Airlines pulled flights around Osaka and Nagoya for the period September 3 to 4. Railways are also heavily affected by Typhoon Jebi. West Japan Railway Co. started halting local trains on Monday and plans to stop all local services in the area of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe on Tuesday. Several people were injured at Kyoto Station when part of the glass ceiling collapsed due to strong winds.</s>Japanese authorities on Tuesday urged nearly 300,000 people to evacuate as typhoon Jebi made landfall.

At least 600 flights, along with dozens of ferries and trains, were cancelled as Jebi – Korean for "swallow" – continued on course for the western part of Honshu, Japan's largest main island.

Japanese weather bureau chief forecaster Ryuta Kurora issued a warning, saying Jebi could trigger landslides, flooding and tornadoes. Other meteorologists gave similar predictions.

Read more: Will extreme weather become even deadlier?

"Damaging winds and coastal flooding may be the most significant impacts with this storm," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty. He added that high winds "will have the potential to cause significant damage."

Authorities recorded winds gusts of up to 216 kilometers per hour (135 miles per hour) as it plowed into Japan's Honshu island.

Far from the eye of the storm, the capital of Tokyo was set to receive heavy rains in the afternoon.

This year, Japan has been hit by several deadly weather-related disasters, including a heat wave and torrential rains that triggered landslides and floods in July that left more than 220 people dead.

The disaster was considered the deadliest of its kind in more than 30 years.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Jebi, once a super-typhoon, is expected to weaken as it approaches Japan. However, the storm will still have strength equivalent to that of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane, according to forecasters. Maximum sustained winds are expected to be about 90 to 100mph. Major flooding, flash flooding and mudslides are a concern, as 16 inches of rain is anticipated.

According to Accuweather’s latest forecast, Jebi is very likely to be a direct hit. The forecast statement said: “Residents across Japan should be making final preparations as Typhoon Jebi is expected to threaten lives and property from late Monday night into Wednesday. “Residents from Shikoku and southern and central Honshu should be preparing for a direct hit.” The current forecast track puts the prefectures of Kochi, Tokushima, Wakayama, Nara, Aichi, Shizuoka and Mie at risk of most destructive winds.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said: "Damaging winds and coastal flooding may be the most significant impacts with this storm.” Jebi is anticipated to slam into southern and central Honshu, as well as far eastern Shikoku on Tuesday. The massive typhoon will then race toward Hokkaido on Tuesday night into Wednesday. Areas could see serious damage to well-built homes and businesses, trees snapped or uprooted, power outages and water shortages. Downed trees and power lines can block roads, significantly delaying storm cleanup and recovery.

The southern coast of Japan, facing the onslaught of the storm, could also face life-threatening storm surges. Accuweather said: “Residents in coastal areas, including those around Ise Bay, should prepare to evacuate and do so when orders are given by authorities.” The quick movement of Jebi may limit major flooding, but flash flooding and mudslides are still concerns in the mountains of central Honshu. And it won’t just the areas with a direct hit that will be impacted: wind gusts up to 80 mph are expected on the outskirts.

Gusts in the lower end of this range may also be seen in Tokyo, even if the city escapes the heaviest rainfall. Based on the latest projected path, the worst conditions in Tokyo will occur late in the afternoon into Tuesday night. Gusty winds and downpours will continue into Wednesday, impacting the morning commute. Windows of skyscrapers can get knocked out, and falling glass could pose further hazards for people on the city streets below.</s>The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years battered the west of the country Tuesday with violent winds and heavy rain, killing six and injuring scores more.

Powerful gusts ripped sheeting from rooftops, overturned trucks on bridges and swept a tanker anchored in Osaka Bay into a bridge to Kansai International Airport.

The damage to the bridge left the airport cut off from the mainland and stranded around 3,000 people there, an official told AFP.

The storm was heading north across a swath of Japan's main island of Honshu toward the Sea of Japan. It was off the northern coast of Fukui on Tuesday evening with sustained winds of 126 kilometers per hour (78 miles per hour) and gusts up to 180 kph (110 mph), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

A man in his 70s died apparently after being blown to the ground from his apartment in Osaka prefecture, while a 71-year-old man died after being buried underneath a storage house that collapsed on him, officials said.

NHK national television said 126 people were injured in the storm.

In the hard-hit city of Osaka, high seas poured into Kansai International Airport, flooding one of its two runways and cargo storage and other facilities, forcing the airport to shut down, said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

More than 700 flights were canceled, according to Japanese media tallies. High-speed bullet train service was suspended from Tokyo west to Hiroshima.

A 2,591-ton tanker that was mooring slammed into the side of a bridge connecting the airport to the mainland, damaging part of the bridge and the vessel. The tanker's 11 crew members were not injured and remained on board, according to Japan's coast guard.

Elsewhere in Osaka, the Universal Studios Japan theme park and U.S. Consulate were both closed. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled a scheduled trip to Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, to oversee the government's response to the typhoon, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

The typhoon first made landfall on Japan's southwestern island of Shikoku and then again near Kobe on Honshu. Television footage showed fallen tree branches and high seas overflowing onto low-lying areas.

Tokyo escaped relatively unscathed, with some intermittent squalls.</s>TOKYO: Japan issued evacuation advisories for almost 300,000 people and cancelled hundreds of flights in the face of strong winds and heavy rain as typhoon Jebi roared north and was set to make landfall later on Tuesday.

Jebi - whose name means "swallow" in Korean - is the latest harsh weather to hit Japan this summer following deadly rains, landslides, floods and record-breaking heat that killed hundreds of people.

The storm was bearing down on western Japan and set to make landfall on Shikoku, the smallest main island, before raking across the western part of the largest main island, Honshu, and Osaka, the nation's second-largest city, later on Tuesday.

Evacuation advisories were issued for some 280,000 people as the wind and rain began picking up. Television footage showed waves pounding the coastline amid warnings that high tides later on Tuesday would coincide with the storm's passage.

Wind gusts of up to 166 km/h (103 mph) were recorded in one part of Shikoku, with forecasts for gusts as high as 216 km/h (135 mph).

Around 87 mm (3.4 inches) of rain drenched some areas in an hour on Tuesday morning, with as much as 500 mm (20 inches) set to fall in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning.

Nearly 600 flights were cancelled, along with scores of ferries and trains, NHK public television said. The Shinkansen bullet train was operating on a reduced schedule and Universal Studios Japan, a popular amusement park near Osaka, was closed.

The capital, Tokyo, will be far from the centre of the storm but was set for heavy rains and high winds by the end of Tuesday.

Jebi's predicted course will bring it close to parts of western Japan hit by rains and flooding that killed more than 200 people in July. However, it was set to speed up after it makes landfall, minimising the amount of rain that will fall in one place.</s>Typhoon Jebi hit Osaka Bay in Japan, with six dead and 160 injuries caused by the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 25 years reported the BBC. With winds of up to 107 mph and heavy rain, the typhoon wrecked havoc on the area, with the whole Osaka Bay region affected.

One of the dead was a man who was at work in a Shiga Prefecture warehouse when the building collapsed on him, while most of the other victims fell from balconies due to the high winds.

As reported by the Inquisitr evacuations begun early, with over one million people eventually evacuated from the region following flood warnings issued by Japanese officials.

The typhoon had its major impact at Osaka Bay, sending a tanker into a bridge but leaving the crew of the ship unhurt, while a railway station in Kyoto saw extensive damage as parts of the glass roof collapsed leaving several people injured.

Unsurprisingly damage was sustained to the electrical grid, leaving over one million households without power on both Shikoku island, where the storm made landfall and the largest island in Japan of Honshu. With the storm still present, authorities on Honshu have urged residents who did not already evacuate to move to higher ground.

By Wednesday morning the storm is expected to leave Japan, weakening as it heads north, eventually fading in far eastern Russia by Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Kyodo NewsTyphoon Jebi was the first typhoon categorized as a “very strong” storm by the Japanese weather agencies since a 1993 typhoon which saw 48 people killed.

The storm caused chaos at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport with over 700 flights canceled thanks to flooding on the runway, leaving 5000 people stranded. One of those airport passengers affected was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was scheduled to fly to the southwestern prefectures on Tuesday. With the runway underwater and the basement of one terminal flooded, it is not clear when the airport will reopen.

More weather events are expected in the area with the weather agency warning of landslides, flooding, and high tides as well as the typical rain and lightning that comes with any storm.

This summer has been an active storm season for Japan, with more than 200 killed in landslides and floods.

The storm was so severe that the winds were felt as far away as Tokyo, 279 miles away from Kyoto, causing damage with roofs being blown off buildings.</s>The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday, the country's weather agency said, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall that prompted evacuation warnings.

 Typhoon Jebi, packing winds of up to 216 kilometres (135 miles) per hour, made landfall around midday in western Japan near areas still recovering from deadly record rains earlier this summer.

 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged people to "evacuate early" and ordered his government to take all necessary measures to protect residents. Japan's weather agency has issued warnings about possible landslides, flooding and violent winds, as well as high tides, lightning and tornadoes in a swath of western Japan including the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto</s>The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday, the country's weather agency said, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall that prompted evacuation warnings.

Typhoon Jebi, packing winds of up to 216 kilometres (135 miles) per hour, made landfall around midday in western Japan near areas still recovering from deadly record rains earlier this summer.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged people to "evacuate early" and ordered his government to take all necessary measures to protect residents.

Japan's weather agency has issued warnings about possible landslides, flooding and violent winds, as well as high tides, lightning and tornadoes in a swath of western Japan including the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto.

With winds of up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour at its centre, Jebi is classed as a "very strong" typhoon, the weather agency's chief forecaster Ryuta Kurora told AFP.

"This is (the strongest) since 1993."

In the hours before the storm made landfall, Shikoku, one of four Japanese main islands, was already experiencing "violent storms and the storms will get stronger and stronger," he added.

As the storm approached, Abe called a disaster response meeting and cancelled a trip to western Japan.

"I urge the Japanese people to take action to protect your lives, including preparing and evacuating early," he said.

He instructed his cabinet to "take all measures possible".

Local media warned that the wind speeds Jebi is packing are strong enough to bring down traditional-style wooden houses and power poles, and urged people in affected areas to avoid non-essential travel.

Evacuation advisories have been issued for more than 300,000 people in western Japan - including 280,000 in the port city of Kobe - with local officials setting up some 1,500 shelters, the central and local governments said in statements.

Primary and middle schools in affected areas are closed for safety reasons, while regional businesses also reacted quickly, with a major railway firm and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka shutting down for Tuesday.

Nearly 600 flights were cancelled, including several international flights departing and arriving at Nagoya and Osaka, along with ferries connecting ports in western Japan.

Jebi has a similar trajectory to Typhoon Cimaron, which made landfall on August 23, disrupting transport links but causing limited damage and few injuries.

Japan is currently in its annual typhoon season, and is regularly struck by major storm systems during the summer and autumn.

The country has been sweating through a record, deadly heatwave that was preceded by record rainfall in parts of western and central Japan that killed over 200 people.</s>TOKYO: The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday (Sep 4), the country's weather agency said, bringing violent winds and heavy rainfall that prompted evacuation warnings.

Typhoon Jebi, packing winds of up to 216kmh, made landfall around midday in western Japan near areas still recovering from deadly record rains earlier this summer.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged people to "evacuate early" and ordered his government to take all necessary measures to protect residents.

Japan's weather agency has issued warnings about possible landslides, flooding and violent winds, as well as high tides, lightning and tornadoes in a swath of western Japan including the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto.

With winds of up to 162kmh at its centre, Jebi is classed as a "very strong" typhoon, the weather agency's chief forecaster Ryuta Kurora told AFP.

"This is (the strongest) since 1993."

In the hours before the storm made landfall, Shikoku, one of four Japanese main islands, was already experiencing "violent storms and the storms will get stronger and stronger," he added.

As the storm approached, Abe called a disaster response meeting and cancelled a trip to western Japan.

"I urge the Japanese people to take action to protect your lives, including preparing and evacuating early," he said.

He instructed his cabinet to "take all measures possible".

Local media warned that the wind speeds Jebi is packing are strong enough to bring down traditional-style wooden houses and power poles, and urged people in affected areas to avoid non-essential travel.

Evacuation advisories have been issued for more than 300,000 people in western Japan - including 280,000 in the port city of Kobe - with local officials setting up some 1,500 shelters, the central and local governments said in statements.

Primary and middle schools in affected areas are closed for safety reasons, while regional businesses also reacted quickly, with a major railway firm and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka shutting down for Tuesday.

Nearly 600 flights were cancelled, including several international flights departing and arriving at Nagoya and Osaka, along with ferries connecting ports in western Japan.

Jebi has a similar trajectory to Typhoon Cimaron, which made landfall on August 23, disrupting transport links but causing limited damage and few injuries.

Japan is currently in its annual typhoon season, and is regularly struck by major storm systems during the summer and autumn.

The country has been sweating through a record, deadly heatwave that was preceded by record rainfall in parts of western and central Japan that killed over 200 people.</s>Flooding shut down Kansai International Airport in Osaka and Universal Studios Japan, a popular amusement park near Osaka, was also closed on Tuesday. The airport’s runway and the basement floor of a terminal building have been flooded, according to people at the airport. Local and high speed trains between Osaka and Hiroshima were cancelled and services from Tokyo to Osaka were running at reduced operations. A tanker which had been anchored in Osaka bay crashed into a bridge connecting the Kansai airport, which is built on a man-made island in a bay, to the mainland and the city of Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture.

The bridge was damaged but the tanker was empty and none of its crew was injured, the coast guard said. Japan’s Meteorological Agency called on the public to be vigilant against high waves, flooding and mudslides caused by the typhoon. Jebi has been bearing down with punishing winds on Japan’s Honshu island, home to the country’s major cities such as Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto.

Extreme winds of 129 mph have hit Japan and forecasts will see this quickly develop towards 135 mph in the coming hours. Some 20 inches is also predicted to fall during the next 24 hours entering into noon on Wednesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Evacuation orders for more than one million people have been issued in some areas of Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, Ehime and Wakayama prefectures. Wind gusts of up to 208 km/h (129mph) were recorded in one part of Shikoku, with forecasts for gusts as high as 216 km/h (135mph).

One woman told NHK: “Our house is right at the base of a mountain, so it’s a little dangerous and we decided to leave.” Around 100mm (3.9 inches) of rain drenched one part of the tourists city of Kyoto in an hour, with images from the scene showing citizens gripping tightly to their umbrellas as winds battered towns and cities amid strong downpours. More than 700 flights were cancelled, along with scores of ferries and trains, NHK said. Jebi’s course has brought it close to parts of western Japan which has already been hit by rain and flooding that killed more than 220 people in July.
Typhoon Jebi kills at least 11 people in Japan, while more than 300 are injured. It is considered the strongest typhoon in the country in 25 years.