Typhoon Ampil brings downpours to Japan

Tokyo : Powerful typhoon Ampil on Friday is approaching Japan's Kanto region, eastern part of the country, with alerts for heavy rain and gale issued for Tokyo and other regions.

As of 4:45 p.m. local time, the seventh typhoon of the year was moving northeast at 15 km per hour, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

With an atmospheric pressure of 950 hectopascals at its centre, Ampil is packing winds reaching up to 216 kilometres per hour, said the JMA, which marked its intensity as "very strong."

Bands of heavy rain clouds could form over Kanto, the Izu Islands and Yamanashi prefecture sometime on Friday, sharply raising the risk of disasters, said the weather agency, urging people to take precautionary measures.

As many parts of the Kanto region, including the greater Tokyo area, braced for downpours and gusts, the powerful typhoon has severely disrupted public transportation.

Over 600 domestic and international flights on Friday have been cancelled or grounded by All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines at Haneda and Narita airports.

Disruptions to Shinkansen bullet train lines and other railway services also brought headaches to travellers in Japan during the Bon holiday travel rush.

The Central Japan Railway Company has cancelled all services on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Nagoya for Friday, with reduced services between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka, expecting potential service suspensions and delays on Saturday.

The East Japan Railway Company has decided to cancel some services on the Tohoku, Joetsu and Yamagata Shinkansen lines from around 11 a.m. local time, adding that services on the Hokuriku and Akita Shinkansen lines may also be disrupted by the storm.