Typhoon Hagibis, one of the most powerful storms of this year is forecasted to affect Japan on Saturday, August 12.
A number of municipal governments issued evacuation advisories to areas particularly at risk, including some in the most populous greater Tokyo region, NHK reported. Hundreds of thousands of households in Japan were advised to evacuate due to fears of flooding.
Typhoon Hagibis – “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog, has also forced the 2019 Rugby World Cup authorities to cancel two matches (New Zealand vs Italy, England and France), a first in the game’s history.
Storm surges are expected along the Pacific coast of Honshu on Saturday and Sunday along with record torrential rain.
Japan’s two largest airlines, ANA and JAL, have cancelled almost all domestic flights – around 370 – scheduled to or from the two Tokyo airports (Haneda and Narita) and some of the connections between Osaka and Chubu.
