Typhoon Trami lashes Japan, triggers extensive power cuts

TOKYO: The powerful Typhoon Trami lashed south-west Japan on Sunday, triggering power cuts at nearly 400,000 buildings and causing flight cancellations.

According to a statement on its website, Kansai International Airport, which serves the greater Osaka area in western Japan, closed two runways from 11am on Sunday through to 6am on Monday to prepare for the possible impact of Trami.

The typhoon may approach central Japan later on Sunday night, affecting Tokyo until Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Trami, the 24th typhoon of the season, swept the southern islands of Okinawa and Kyushu on Sunday morning, with winds gusts of up to 222kmh. The tropical cyclone is classified as a "very strong" typhoon, the second-highest on the Japan Meteorological Agency scale.

About 195,000 sites in the southern Kyushu region had power blackouts as of 11am on Sunday, according to Kyushu Electric Power, while over 200,000 homes and offices lost power in the Okinawa area as of 10am.

There have been more than 900 flight cancellations announced by various airlines on Sunday, affecting more than 70,000 passengers, local media reported.

Trami follows on the heels of several large typhoons to hit major Asian population centres this month, including Jebi, which forced the closure of Kansai International Airport.

Forty-eight people have been injured on the island of Okinawa and the prefecture of Kagoshima in Kyushu, according to national broadcaster NHK. The bullet train service between Kumamoto and central Kagoshima was also halted.