One of the strongest storms to hit Japan in decades is slamming into the southern islands of Okinawa, forcing residents to take refuge from violent winds, torrential rains and massive waves.
Typhoon Neoguri was downgraded early Tuesday from a super typhoon, but the Japan Meteorological Agency says the storm is still packing wind gusts of up to 250 kilometers per hour.
Authorities have urged tens of thousands of people to evacuate Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, where thousands have lost power. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said there are no reports of major damage so far.
The United States' Kadena Air Force Base on Okinawa's main island has evacuated some aircraft and officials are warning people not to go outside in what could be a deadly storm.
After passing over Okinawa, forecasters expect Neoguri to hit Kyushu island, which hosts two nuclear facilities, both of which have been shut down ahead of the storm's arrival.
The typhoon is then expected to lose strength before taking aim at Japan's main island of Honshu, where large cities such as Tokyo and Osaka are located. Neoguri, which means "raccoon" in Korean, is posing a particular threat of landslides and floods, since it is hitting Japan at the end of its summer rainy season. Japan usually is hit by several typhoons each year, but it is unusual for such a storm to hit as early as July.
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