Millions of residents have been advised to evacuate, and over 100 of domestic flights have been cancelled as a severe tropical storm approaches Okinawa in the southwest of the country.
According to authorities, four people have been injured as severe tropical storm Mekkhala could potentially merge with tropical storm Higos on Friday, June 26, with officials warning about risks of flooding and landslides.
Flights cancellation amid two storms risk
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled more than 100 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive at airports on the islands of Ishigaki and Miyako in Okinawa.
On Friday, June 26, around 140 flights have been cancellled, and most of the flights were scheduled to leave or arrive at Naha Airport on the Okinawa main island.
The Japanese airlines said that more cancellations may be expected depending on the path of severe tropical storm Mekkhala and urged customers to keep an eye on their websites for the updated information.
According to forecasters, severe tropical storm Mekkhala was downgraded from a typhoon but still carried gusts of up to 108 km/h. Heavy rain has already engulfed parts of southern and western Japan.
The weather system was expected to skirt the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu over the weekend, affecting a swath of the country, including densely populated Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo.
Officials in Kyoto and Osaka said water levels in rivers were rising and warned that vigilance was required because of the threat of flooding.
About the Fujiwhara effect
Mekkhala was expected to converge with tropical storm Higos, which was also swirling further out in the Pacific Ocean.
That could result in the atmospheric phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect when two storms interact, making forecasting their movements and strengths more complex.
Japanese government addresses twin storms
"There is a risk of extremely heavy rain at warning levels," top government spokesman Minoru Kihara told local reporters.
He added, "So far, we have received reports of one person seriously injured and three people with minor injuries," along with flooding in dozens of buildings mainly in the southern region of Kagoshima.
"We offer our heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by the disaster, and we will continue to gain an accurate picture of the damage situation," he said, adding the government is cooperating with municipalities to take "emergency disaster response measures".
Halt of activities due to storms in Japan
Automaker Toyota suspended operations at a plant in Kyushu due to road closures caused by heavy rain, while Nissan also said it planned to halt some production lines.
The Japanese military also cancelled the maiden planned flight of a V-22 Osprey transport aircraft to Miyako Island that was part of joint exercises with the United States.
Effects of the storms in Taiwan
In Taiwan, more than 1,600 people were evacuated from their homes, and schools and offices were shut in several areas, as Mekkhala triggered torrential rain, floods and landslides across the island.
On Friday, authorities warned of potentially dangerous debris flows in mountainous areas of eastern Hualien county and Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south, where the weather forecasting agency said as much as 88 cm of rain had fallen since Thursday.
