Typhoon Shanshan Churns Over Japan, Dumping Heavy Rain

Typhoon Shanshan weakened to a tropical storm after hitting Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu, with the government continuing to warn that landslides could be triggered by heavy rain as the weather system beats its way slowly across the country in the coming days.

Shanshan was located near Unzen City in Nagasaki prefecture, and moving north as of 5 p.m. JST, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Some areas of Kyushu saw record-breaking rain of over 800 millimeters (31 inches) in the 72 hours to 3 p.m. Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Three people have been reported dead, and one person was missing due to the typhoon, which made landfall earlier Thursday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.

A weather bureau official on Wednesday described Shanshan as a “rare typhoon” in terms of its strength.

Power plants in Kyushu and Kansai region have been impacted by the storm, with several units planning to operate at a lower output. More than 190,000 buildings across the seven prefectures in Kyushu were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co.

Kyushu is also home to producers of semiconductor chips. Renesas Electronics Corp. suspended operations at its two plants in Matsumoto, but plans to restart them on Friday. The company said its facilities in Oita and Ehime prefectures have also been affected. Tokyo Electron Ltd. said it will halt its Kumamoto plant on Thursday and Friday. Murata Manufacturing Co. said it would suspend operations at some plants.

Carmakers Impacted

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to keep all its factories in the country closed through Friday, according to a spokesperson. Daihatsu Motor Co. will halt operations at several plants, local broadcaster TBS reported. Nissan Motor Co. is halting two plants in Kyushu from Thursday morning until Friday morning. Honda Motor Co. suspended a plant for Thursday and Friday and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it would halt operations at its plant in Okayama prefecture on Friday.

Mazda Motor Corp. said that it will halt its plants in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures from Thursday evening to Friday evening. Yamaha Motor Co. said it will suspend its facilities in Kumamoto prefecture from Thursday to Friday.

Transportation has been disrupted by the storm. Japan Airlines Co. said it canceled 280 flights for Friday while All Nippon Airways Co. canceled over 600 flights between Wednesday and Saturday. Kyushu Railway Co. said it will suspend or adjust schedules for some bullet train services in the region between Thursday and Friday.

Central Japan Railway Co. said the Tokaido bullet train — which connects Tokyo to western part of the country — won’t run between Mishima and Nagoya on Friday. Services may be impacted into the weekend depending on the path of the typhoon, the operator said.

Top photo: A man holds his umbrella in the wind outside Hakata station in Fukuoka, Japan, on Aug. 29, 2024. Photographer: Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP/Getty Images.