A woman uses an umbrella to shield herself from strong wind in Tokyo, Japan, 23 October 2017. EFE-EPA FILE/FRANCK ROBICHON

Japan braces itself for another typhoon after Khanun’s passage

Tokyo, Aug 13 (EFE).- Japan on Sunday was bracing itself for the approach of a new typhoon that is expected to trigger heavy rains in a large part of the archipelago between Monday and Tuesday and cause transport disruptions.

Typhoon Lan, the seventh of the season in the Pacific and coming just days after Khanun lashed southern Japan, was moving northward across the country’s remote Izu island chain in the Pacific on Sunday and is expected to make landfall in the Kinki region in the west on Tuesday.

The Izu islands are on alert for torrential rains, flooding, landslides and storm surge, conditions that are expected to also occur in large parts of Japan’s Pacific coast starting Monday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

More than 500 millimeters of rain is forecast in the central Tokai region on Tuesday, while in Kanto, where Tokyo is located, rainfall will reach 300 millimeters, the JMA said.

Rainfall in several areas in the coming days could exceed the average for the entire month of August, according to JMA.

The West Japan Railway company, which operates trains in the west of the country, has warned of the possibility of cancellations and delays in the coming days due to weather conditions.

The arrival of the typhoon coincides with celebration of the Obon festival honoring the deceased, a period during many Japanese people travel to their family homes.

Typhoon Lan comes after Khanun, which during its passage across southwest Japan and the Korean peninsula over the last two weeks, caused widespread flooding, extensive material damage and several deaths. EFE

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