‘A disaster will occur’: Japan braces for powerful Typhoon Haishen, second storm in a week

Haishen, or “sea god” in Chinese, could see winds of over 300km/h as it hits the southern Okinawa islands before heading towards the Korean peninsula

Earlier this week, Typhoon Maysak battered southern Japan, injuring dozens, while a cargo ship carrying thousands of cattle capsized

Reading Time:2 minutes

A Nasa satellite image shows Typhoon Haishen approaching Japan's southern regions, on the heels of an earlier typhoon. Photo: AP

Published: 10:30am, 5 Sep 2020Updated: 8:28pm, 5 Sep 2020

An extremely powerful typhoon was barrelling towards southwestern Japan on Saturday as authorities issued evacuation advisories to thousands of residents, warning of unprecedented violent winds, heavy rain and high waves.

Haishen, or “sea god” in Chinese, churned near Okinawa in southern Japan on Saturday afternoon and was expected to approach Kyushu late Sunday or early Monday, the meteorological agency said.

The storm is expected to affect Japan from late Saturday, with winds of up to 290 kilometres per hour (180 miles per hour), making it a “violent” storm – the top level on the country’s classification scale.

“There is a danger of record winds, heavy rain, high waves and storm surge,” Yoshihisa Nakamoto, an agency officer, told a news conference, calling for an early evacuation and “maximum caution.”

Vessels are taken out of the water at a port in Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, in preparation for the approaching Typhoon Haishen. Photo: Kyodo

Yuhei Takamura, a government official, told the conference: “A disaster will occur. There is almost no doubt about it.”

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x