Typhoon Halong made landfall over Shikoku at 6 a.m. local time (2100 UTC Saturday), with the storm's eye passing over the city of Aki around an hour later. The typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 126 kilometers (78.2 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 km/h, was traveling north-north-east towards Honshu at 20 km/h, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday morning that 26 people had been injured as a result of the storms. Local media also reported that cities in Mie prefecture had asked more than half a million people to evacuate their homes.

Mie, still bracing itself for the worst of the storm, had already faced record rainfall on Saturday (flooding in coastal city of Tsu pictured at top of article) from the outer edges of Typhoon Halong. This had prompted the Japan Meterological Agency to issue its highest warning for the prefecture, located some 300 kilometers to the west of Tokyo and slightly east of Kyoto and Osaka.

Flooding and landslide warnings were in effect for the region as large waves lashed the coast and river levels rose.

Almost 500 flights were grounded on Saturday owing to the weather, with at least 143 canceled for Sunday. Domestically, NHK reported that many train services were suspended.

The storm coincides with the annual Buddhist holiday week of Obon, and follows just one month after southern Japan was hit by Typhoon Neoguri. Last weekend, a man drowned in a river swollen by rains from Typhoon Nakri.

msh/jr (AFP, AP, Reuters)