Flights cancelled as Typhoon Mindulle nears Japan

A powerful typhoon is on course for a direct hit on Tokyo, with nearly 400 flights grounded due to heavy rain and strong winds.

Mindulle was expected to make landfall at about Monday noon, moving upwards from the Japanese capital to the northern Tohoku region, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Bringing winds up to 180km per hour, the storm was heading north at a speed of 25km per hour from Miyake island in early morning, the agency said.

“In Tokyo .. please exercise caution for landslides, flooding in low lying areas, surging rivers, violent wind and high waves,” the weather agency said.

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The storm caused airlines across the country to cancel a total of 387 flights, mostly to and from Tokyo’s Haneda airport, national broadcaster NHK said.

Japan Airlines said it cancelled 145 domestic flights through mid-afternoon, affecting 26,910 customers, while All Nippon Airways cancelled 96 domestic flights, affecting 21,300 passengers.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage on Miyake, an island of around 2,600 residents which is known for fishing, tourism and farming.

Major train services in Tokyo and its surrounding region operated normally during the morning commuting hours, including super fast bullet trains, according to East Japan Railway, the region’s biggest railway operator.

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Separately, typhoon Kompasu, which hit Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido on Sunday, had been downgraded to a temperate depression by early Monday and moved away into the Sea of Okhotsk, according to the weather agency.

A tropical storm called Lionrock was south of the island of Shikoku, but is not expected to hit Japan directly.

Heavy rains since Saturday caused high waves and rivers to flood in Hokkaido, but caused only three minor injuries.