Many flights canceled

Strong typhoon hits Japan: dozens injured

This image taken by the "Himawari" satellite shows Typhoon Shanshan moving over the Japanese region of Kyushu.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Japan Meteorological Agency/HANDOUT)

Typhoon "Shanshan" has hit Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu, battering the region with heavy rain and lashing winds.

As reported by Japanese television station NHK, at least 54 people suffered injuries. A man in his 60s fell from a small boat into the sea in the heavy swell off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, it said. He was initially thought to be missing.

The national weather authority warned residents of the region of the dangers posed by the cyclone. Power was cut in 250,000 households, as the television station NHK reported. In the city of Nagasaki, almost 400,000 people were called upon to seek safety. Train services were interrupted and numerous flights were canceled.

In Miyazaki, western Japan, a heavy metal object even got stuck in a power line due to the strong winds.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Farmland is flooded.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Toyota halts operations
According to media reports, the car manufacturer Toyota decided to halt the operation of the 28 production lines in all of its 14 domestic assembly plants by Friday. The decision was made in consideration of employee safety and possible parts shortages caused by the typhoon.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Cyclone is likely to hit the entire archipelago
Meanwhile, "Shanshan", the tenth typhoon of the season, continues to move northwards. According to NHK, the cyclone is expected to move across the entire archipelago over the next few days.

The typhoon made landfall in the morning near Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture and was moving north at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour with wind speeds of up to 216 kilometers per hour, the agency said.