More than 100 domestic flights were cancelled across Japan on Friday as two tropical storms advanced towards the country, prompting evacuation advisories and raising concerns over flooding and landslides.
Severe tropical storm Mekkhala, which was downgraded from a typhoon, was generating wind gusts of up to 144km/h, with heavy rain already battering parts of southern and western Japan, according to the country’s weather agency, reports AFP/BSS.
Forecasters said Mekkhala was expected to pass close to the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku over the weekend, while tropical storm Higos continued to move across the Pacific. Meteorologists warned the two systems could interact through the Fujiwhara effect, a phenomenon in which nearby storms influence each other’s paths and intensity, making forecasts more uncertain.
Japan Airlines cancelled 70 flights and All Nippon Airways suspended 50 services, mainly affecting routes to and from Okinawa and Kagoshima in southern Japan.
Authorities in Kyoto advised several thousand residents to evacuate due to the risk of landslides. Officials in both Kyoto and Osaka also warned that water levels in major rivers were rising, increasing the threat of flooding.
The severe weather disrupted industrial activity as well. Toyota suspended operations at one of its plants in Kyushu after heavy rain forced road closures, while Nissan said it planned to halt production on some assembly lines, according to Kyodo News.
The Japanese military also cancelled the inaugural flight of a V-22 Osprey transport aircraft to Miyako Island, which had been scheduled as part of joint military exercises with the United States, Kyodo reported.
