Japan is facing significant disruptions as Typhoon Ampil approaches the eastern coast, prompting widespread evacuations and flight cancellations.
As per Al-Jazeera reports, thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate, and dozens of flights have been canceled due to the powerful typhoon.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned that Typhoon Ampil, currently moving over the Pacific Ocean, is bringing strong winds that could cause severe damage, including overturning vehicles and sending debris flying.
By Friday afternoon, the typhoon was located about 170 kilometers south of Choshi city in Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo.
With wind speeds reaching 216 kilometers per hour, the JMA has issued warnings for residents in the Kanto region and beyond to take precautionary measures.
Evacuation orders have been issued for several cities, including Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture, affecting around 323,000 people, and Mobara in Chiba, where 18,500 residents have been told to leave.
The typhoon has also caused power outages, leaving over 2,500 households in the Kanto area without electricity.
In response to the severe weather, train services have also been disrupted, with the Shinkansen bullet trains between Tokyo and Nagoya halted for the entire day.
Other trains in northeastern Japan and Tokyo have been temporarily suspended or are operating on reduced schedules.