Typhoon Goni Makes Landfall on Japan, Causing Injuries, Evacuations

Article

Typhoon Goni made landfall on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu, causing injuries and prompting evacuation orders. Cancellations of airline and train service affected thousands of people.

Goni, which had been the strength of a category 3 hurricane, came ashore in Kumamoto prefecture about 6 a.m. The storm cut a path through Kyushu and re-entered the sea near Shimonoseki, where 280,000 people in surrounding Yamaguchi prefecture were advised to evacuate due to concern over landslides, public broadcaster NHK said.

At least 33 injuries in Kyushu and Yamaguchi were attributed to the typhoon, Asahi reported.

Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings for high waves, landslides and flooding for prefectures in most of southern and western Japan. The storm was about 100 kilometers northeast of Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest city, as of 11:45 a.m., and still packed wind gusts up to 180 kilometers per hour, according to the agency.

The typhoon, which caused flights to be canceled in southern Japan over the weekend, continues to disrupt travel. Japan Airlines Co. canceled 106 domestic flights for today, affecting 10,440 passengers; flights to and from Busan, South Korea may also be delayed. ANA Holdings Inc. canceled 67 domestic flights for today. Train lines, including Shinkansen bullet trains, were suspended in Kyushu.

Goni brought destruction after it turned northward in the Pacific last week, killing at least 14 people in the Philippines and prompting weather warnings in Taiwan. The storm is predicted to skirt the Korean Peninsula later in the week.

Goni is Japan’s 15th typhoon of this season, according to the weather agency. Atsani, the 16th typhoon, has since weakened to a strong tropical storm and is heading east out to sea.

Japan is most likely to see typhoons make landfall on its main islands between July and October, with two or three coming ashore in a typical year. Typhoon Nangka made landfall in western Japan in July, leaving at least two dead and disrupting travel throughout the region. The number of typhoons formed in a season in Japan is usually in the 20s, Nippon.com says.

–With assistance from Drew Gibson in Tokyo.