The season began with the formation of Tropical Storm Yanyan on January 15 . After its dissipation five days later , no tropical cyclones of at least tropical storm intensity developed over the next two months . This period of inactivity ended with the formation of Typhoon Kujira in mid @-@ April ; Kujira was one of the longest lived Pacific storms on record and was the first typhoon with 1 @-@ minute sustained winds of at least 240 km / h ( 150 mph ) in April since Typhoon Isa in 1997 . Tropical activity was enhanced from May to June , and during this period the JMA monitored four tropical storms , while the PAGASA monitored a fifth storm off the eastern Philippines . Three of the four tropical storms monitored by the JMA approached or hit Japan , including Typhoon Soudelor , which brought heavy rainfall and wind across the Ryukyu Islands and the Korean Peninsula .