TOKYO: Tropical storm Chan-hom is expected to skirt Japan's main islands but will likely cause heavy damage to the Izu islands south of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said Saturday, adding that local governments throughout the southern regions have issued evacuation orders and advisories affecting over 8,000 people.
According to NHK, which cited Japan's Meteorological Agency, the storm has brought with it continuous heavy rains that have already exceeded all October rain averages and caused landslides in the Nara and Mie prefectures of the main island.
Chan-hom was downgraded from typhoon to tropical storm as it lost intensity approaching Japan from the south but is still expected to bring winds of up to 86 miles per hour to the Izu Islands and Hachijojima Island.
Nearly a dozen domestic flights were cancelled as a result of the bad weather and officials are warning citizens to remain alert for landslides, flooding, violent winds and high waves.