Millions told to evacuate as Typhoon Shanshan tears through southwestern Japan with 200kmph winds

At least four people have died after a powerful storm hit southern Japan on Thursday, with millions ordered to evacuate and hundreds of flights cancelled across the country.

Shanshan made landfall on the southwestern island of Kyushu early on Thursday as a typhoon, bringing winds gusting up to almost 200kmph. The local authorities had already shut down large parts of the island, warning that the storm could be one of the strongest ever to hit the region.

Though it weakened throughout the day into a tropical storm, it continued to bring strong winds, high waves, and very high volumes of rainfall as it moved towards the northeast. The storm’s path is largely tracking the main islands of Japan, meaning it is expected to bring significant disruption to Tokyo over the weekend.

Miyazaki prefecture, part of Kyushu, saw nearly 2ft of rain, causing rivers to swell and increasing the risk of floods, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The total amount of rainfall in 24 hours was more than the region’s average for all of August.

Forecasters warn that additional heavy rainclouds are likely to form over large parts of Kyushu even after the storm has passed, as well as in Yamaguchi prefecture and the Shikoku region on Friday. Some regions could see as much as one metre or 39in of rainfall in the coming days, they warned.

By late Thursday afternoon, Shanshan was moving north at 15 kmph (9mph), with reduced sustained windspeeds of 108kmph (67mph).

Dozens of buildings were damaged when Shanshan tore through downtown Miyazaki city, toppling trees, tossing cars and shattering windows.

Numerous rivers across southern Japan are under threat from possible flooding due to the historic amount of rainfall. NHK public television showed a swollen river in Yufu, a hot-spring town in nearby Oita prefecture, with muddy waters battering a bridge.

At least four people have died in the storm, including three people inside a house buried in a landslide in the central Aichi prefecture.

Some 150 miles west, an 80-year-old man was killed when the roof of a house collapsed, according to national broadcaster NHK, which reported on Thursday that there had been at least 94 people injured in the storm.

At least 90 people were injured across Kyushu, many of them in Miyazaki. Some were hurt on their way to shelters as they were thrown to the ground by the storm, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Prime minister Fumio Kishida called for urgent action from ministers to prioritise public safety. “Please continue to put people’s safety first and cooperate closely with local authorities to take all possible measures to keep the public informed,” he was quoted as telling his cabinet. The government said a total of more than 5.2 million evacuation orders had been issued by late on Thursday.

Nearly 250,000 households lost power, most of them in Kagoshima prefecture, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Company. Around 20,000 people sought refuge in community centres, school gymnasiums and other facilities across the island.

Before the storm made landfall, heavy rain caused a landslide in Gamagori, a central city, killing three residents and injuring two others, according to the city’s disaster management department. On the southern island of Amami, one person was injured when a gust of wind knocked them off a motorcycle.

Officials warned that as Shanshan continues to move northeast, more floods and landslides are possible. In Tokyo, where the storm’s effects have yet to be felt, business continued as usual, though heavy rain is forecast to arrive in the coming days.

Disaster management minister Yoshifumi Matsumura warned that Shanshan could bring “unprecedented” levels of severe weather, urging people, particularly the elderly, to seek shelter if they feel unsafe.

The storm also caused widespread disruption to transportation. Hundreds of domestic flights were cancelled, and bullet trains and local train services were suspended.

Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have already announced the cancellation of more than 600 domestic flights. At the airport, several people were seen waiting for updates on their flights.

In Kyushu, postal and delivery services were halted, and many supermarkets and stores planned to close.

Typhoon Shanshan is the latest harsh weather system to hit Japan following Typhoon Ampil, which led to blackouts and evacuations earlier this month.