A powerful typhoon has killed at least three people in Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, home to 12.5 million people.
Shanshan made landfall near Satsumasendai city in Kagoshima prefecture at around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency added that storms and high winds of up to 252 km/h (157mph) had been reported on the island, warning of landslides, flooding and large-scale damage.
A couple in their 70s and a man in his 30s have died – both of them part of a family of five whose home in Gamagori, a city in central Aichi prefecture, was swept away late on Tuesday.
Their other two family members – two women in their 40s – were rescued after all-night recovery efforts, local broadcaster NHK reported.
As much as 600mm of rain over 24 hours has been forecast in some areas of Kyushu.
Some 255,00 houses are now without power, the island’s utility operator said.
Videos online show large trees swaying, tiles blown off houses, and debris being thrown into the air as heavy rains lashed the island.
Carmaking giant Toyota, meanwhile, has shut down all 14 of its plants until Thursday morning, citing the safety of its employees as well as potential parts shortages caused by the storm.
Hundreds of flights to and from southern Japan have been cancelled. Some high-speed train services have also been impacted.
Earlier this week, local governments issued evacuation advisories to 810,000 people in the central Shizuoka prefecture on Japan’s main island of Honshu.
A further 56,000 were told to leave their home in Kagoshima on Kyushu, the fire and disaster management agency said.
Shanshan comes in the wake of Typhoon Ampil earlier this month, which caused only minor injuries and damage but still disrupted hundreds of flights and trains.
Before that, northern parts of Japan saw record rainfall when Tropical Storm Maria hit Honshu island.
Typhoons in the region have been forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change, according to a study released last month.
Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo
