Powerful typhoon makes landfall in southwestern Japan

A powerful typhoon, the 18th of this season, made landfall near the Minamikyushu city in Kagoshima prefecture in southwestern Japan around 11:30am local time on Sunday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

Typhoon Talim, with central atmospheric pressure at 975 hectopascals, had winds at a speed of 30 meters per second near its center, with gusts reaching nearly 45 meters per second, said the agency.

Heavy rain battered wide swathe of southwestern Japan and the weather agency warned about possible mudslides, violent winds and high waves.

More than 640 flights have been cancelled due to the typhoon, and train operations, including part of the Shinkansen bullet train services in Kyushu, were suspended.

Some 1,400 households in Kagoshima prefecture and 600 households in Miyazaki prefecture suffered power failure as of 10am local time, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co.

As of 11am local time, hundreds of thousands of people in Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Oita, Kumamoto and Fukuoka prefectures have been advised to evacuate.