Central Japan prepares for the arrival of Typhoon Lan as flights and railways are canceled

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan braced for Typhoon Lan to make landfall, as airlines and railways canceled services in the central regions of the country’s main island, where it is expected to hit on Tuesday.

Lan, the seventh tropical storm of the season, was over the Pacific Ocean near central Japan and headed to the northwest at 15 kph (9.3 mph) on Monday, with maximum sustained winds of 139 kph and gusts of up to 195 kph. the hour. Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The outer edge of the storm is expected to reach the coast of Wakayama Prefecture around 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), then head north over major population centers in Osaka and Kyoto. The JMA warned of heavy rains, winds and the risk of floods and landslides.

Japan Airlines (9201T) and ANA Holdings (9202.T) canceled several flights in the path of the storm. Western Japan Railway (9021.T) announced the suspension of the Tokaido Shinkansen express train lines between Nagoya and Osaka for the whole day on Tuesday, as well as the Sanyo Shinkansen between Osaka and Okayama.

The storm comes on the heels of Typhoon Khanun, which meandered through the Pacific Northwest for days before battering southern Japan, then turning north to batter South Korea, China and the Russian Far East.

Typhoon Lan threatens to disrupt one of Japan’s busiest travel seasons during the Obon summer vacation, when many people take vacations and return to their hometowns.

Universal Studios Japan said it would shut down its theme park in Osaka on Tuesday, while the national high school baseball tournament in Koshien, a summer tradition watched by millions, canceled all games for the day.

Prepared by Rocky Swift. Editing by Jerry Doyle

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