Typhoon Shanshan Churns Over Japan, Dumping Heavy Rain

Typhoon Shanshan weakened to a tropical storm after hitting Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu, with the government continuing to warn that landslides could be triggered by heavy rain as the weather system beats its way slowly across the country in the coming days. 
Shanshan was located near Nagasu, in Kumamoto Prefecture, about midnight local time, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. 
Some areas of Kyushu saw record-breaking rain of over 800 millimeters in the 72 hours to 3 p.m. Thursday, the agency said. Flooding rain will be the hallmark of Shanshan as it is forecast to slow down and possibly stall in the coming days, said Jason Nicholls, a senior meteorologist with commercial-forecaster AccuWeather Inc. 
Three people have been reported dead, and one person was missing due to the typhoon, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.
“The big issue, given its slow movement, is the tremendous amount of rain it is going to put down over southwest Japan,” Nicholls said. The storm will likely be pushed out by Monday, but until then downpours will continue. 
A weather bureau official on Wednesday described Shanshan as a “rare typhoon” in terms of its strength. 
Power plants in Kyushu and Kansai region have been impacted by the storm, with several units planning to operate at a lower output. More than 190,000 buildings across the seven prefectures in Kyushu were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co.
Kyushu is also home to producers of semiconductor chips. Renesas Electronics Corp. suspended operations at its two plants in Kumamoto, but plans to restart them on Friday. The company said its facilities in Oita and Ehime prefectures have also been affected. Tokyo Electron Ltd. said it will halt its Kumamoto plant on Thursday and Friday. Murata Manufacturing Co. said it would suspend operations at some plants.
Carmakers Impacted
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to keep all its factories in the country closed through Friday, according to a spokesperson. Daihatsu Motor Co. will halt operations at several plants, local broadcaster TBS reported. Nissan Motor Co. is halting two plants in Kyushu from Thursday morning until Friday morning. Honda Motor Co. suspended a plant for Thursday and Friday and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said it would halt operations at its plant in Okayama prefecture on Friday. 
Mazda Motor Corp. said that it will halt its plants in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures from Thursday evening to Friday evening. Yamaha Motor Co. said it will suspend its facilities in Kumamoto prefecture from Thursday to Friday.
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Transportation has been disrupted by the storm. Japan Airlines Co. said it canceled 280 flights for Friday while All Nippon Airways Co. canceled over 600 flights between Wednesday and Saturday. Kyushu Railway Co. said it will suspend or adjust schedules for some bullet train services in the region between Thursday and Friday.
Central Japan Railway Co. said the Tokaido bullet train — which connects Tokyo to western part of the country — won’t run between Mishima and Nagoya on Friday. Services may be impacted into the weekend depending on the path of the typhoon, the operator said. 
Nicholls said there is a chance another storm will develop next week near the Philippines, but it is too early to say if it will move toward Japan or China. 
With assistance from Tsuyoshi Inajima, Yuki Furukawa, Supriya Singh and Brian K. Sullivan.
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