Japan braced for heavy rain and fierce winds on today as typhoon

Japan braced for heavy rain and fierce winds on today as typhoon Talas churned towards western Japan, the meteorological agency said.

The typhoon, packing gusts of up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, was located some 190 kilometres south of Cape Muroto, the southern tip of Shikoku Island, Friday afternoon, the agency said.

Talas was moving north at a speed of 20 kilometres in the Pacific and may make landfall on Shikoku or other western Japanese areas by early Saturday, the agency said.

The typhoon is then expected to cross the western part of the main Honshu island and move into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) over the weekend, the agency said.

The agency issued a warning of floods and landslides to residents in western Japan, where heavy rainfalls were already monitored but there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.

Source AFP