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Typhoon Lingling pummels Okinawan islands

Sep 06, 2019 (NHK) - Powerful typhoon Lingling is moving north near the main island of Japan's subtropical Okinawa Prefecture. It has already pummeled Miyakojima and nearby islands, leaving about 20,000 households without power.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says Lingling was over waters 180 kilometers west-northwest of Kumejima island as of 4 a.m. on Friday. Kumejima is west of the main island of Okinawa.

The typhoon is packing winds up to 162 kilometers an hour near its center.

Weather officials are warning of storm surge near Kumejima, as well as waves 9 meters high. Waves are expected to reach 8 meters near Okinawa Island.

Fifty millimeters of rain an hour is expected on the main island.

In Miyakojima City, 80 percent of homes are still affected by a blackout. Authorities lifted an evacuation advisory at around 2 a.m. as the typhoon passed.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Faxai is located over Pacific waters far southeast of Tokyo. It is expected to gain strength as it moves northwest toward Japan's main island of Honshu.

Faxai is expected to approach the Ogasawara Island on Saturday and Pacific coastal areas of Honshu from Sunday to Monday.

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Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) is expected to make landfall near Ibaraki Prefecture between around 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 11, bringing rapidly strengthening winds, high waves and heavy rain to parts of Kanto and southern Tohoku, with unsettled weather potentially continuing even after the storm moves inland.

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

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