Typhoon Shanshan hit the southwestern coast of Japan on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds.

At least three people were killed, as millions were evacuated and thousands of households lost power. One person was missing, two were severely injured, and five suffered minor injuries because of the typhoon, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

"As this typhoon is moving slowly, total amount of rain could be rather big," he said.

The typhoon made landfall near Satsumasendai city on the southern island of Kyushu around 8:00 am local time (2300 GMT Wednesday), with winds gusting at up to 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour.

The storm moved north near Unzen city in Nagasaki Prefecture at about 1:45 pm (0445 GMT), at about 15 kilometers per hour.

"We ask that people living in areas expected to flood or be at risk of landslides evacuate as soon as possible," Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a post on X.

Officials said more than 5.2 million people have been given evacuation notices.

Winds tear walls, smash windows

Authorities have issued the highest level of alerts, evacuating several people and warning of storms, floods and landslides. Winds tore walls, broke windows and blew tiles off the roofs of houses. Objects could be seen strewn on the roads or hanging on poles.

"I've never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life," Tomoki Maeda told Reuters news agency. 

One person is missing, and 39 people are injured in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, reported public broadcaster NHK.

The Japan Meteorological Office said, "The risk of a disaster due to heavy rain can rapidly escalate in western Japan as Friday approaches." 

"Please exercise maximum vigilance against violent storms, high waves and high tides in Kagoshima, as well as landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and overflowing rivers in southern Kyushu," it said. 

Torrential rains have hit Japan since Tuesday. An elderly couple and their son in his 30s lost their lives in a landslide in Gamagori city in central Aichi prefecture earlier.

Automaker Toyota has stopped production at all its 14 plants in Japan, whereas Nissan and Honda have also halted business at their Kyushu factories. Chipmaker Renesas also temporarily
halted production at four factories.

ANA, Japan Airlines cancel hundreds of flights due to storm

Japan Airlines canceled 275 domestic flights on Thursday and 13 on Friday. ANA Airlines also canceled 212 domestic flights for Thursday and 42 for Friday.

An official told AFP news agency that about 26 were injured in the city of Miyazaki, which also saw a tornado. None of the injuries were life-threatening. More than 100 buildings have been damaged.

More than 200,000 houses were without electricity in Kyushu.   

"Our home is fine, but there was a tornado in Miyazaki and power went out in some places. It's worrying," student Aoi Nishimoto told the AFP news agency in Fukuoka. 
Earlier this month, Typhoon Ampil hit Japan, causing blackouts and affecting hundreds of flights and trains. 

tg/wd (AFP, Reuters)