A powerful typhoon was bearing down on western Japan Thursday, already bringing torrential rains and strong winds to wide areas of the country, weather authorities said, according to dpa. Typhoon Nangka was expected to make landfall on the south-western island of Shikoku later in the day with the Japan Meteorological Agency warning of flooding, mudslides and swollen rivers in the region. As of 10 am (0100 GMT), Typhoon Nangka was about 240 kilometres south of Cape Muroto on Shikoku, the agency said. The 11th typhoon of the season, travelling north-by-north-west at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour, had maximum sustained winds of 144 kph and gusts of 198 kph, the agency said. Rainfall of up to 400 millimetres was forecast for Shikoku and up to 300 millimetres for the Tokai and Kinki regions by Friday morning, the agency said.
