A powerful typhoon was approaching southern Japanese islands Thursday, bringing torrential rains and strong winds to the region, weather authorities said, according to dpa. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of mudslides, high waves and swollen rivers in the prefectures of Okinawa and Kagoshima. The region's schools have been closed and dozens of flights and ships cancelled, the Okinawa Times newspaper reported. Typhoon Chan-Hom was projected to move closer to Okinawa's main island, 1,600 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, from Thursday night to Friday morning, the agency said. As of 2 pm (0500 GMT), Chan-Hom, the ninth typhoon of the season, was 350 kilometres south-south-east of the Okinawa prefectural capital of Naha, travelling north-west at 20 kilometres per hour, the agency said. Chan-Hom had maximum sustained winds of 126 kph and gusts of 180 kph, the agency said. Rainfall of up to 150 millimetres was forecast for Okinawa by Friday noon, it said.
