Japan advised more than 300,000 people to evacuate their homes on Wednesday as a tropical storm Krosa bore down on the archipelago, NHK broadcaster said.
Airlines also cancelled hundreds of scheduled flights as the storm, packing maximum winds of 108kph (68mph), was heading north toward southwestern Japan by 1100 GMT, Reuters reported. Krosa is expected to make landfall on Thursday morning, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Evacuation advisories were issued for 310,000 residents, and about 350 flights scheduled for Thursday were cancelled.
During the 24 hours until 6pm on Thursday, the weather agency expects up to one meter (39 inches) of rain in Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four major islands.