Tokyo area braces for typhoon approach as transport services halted

Tokyo and other eastern areas of Japan are bracing for the approach of Typhoon Ampil with some transport services halted amid the Bon summer holiday travel period, despite the lowering chances of the powerful storm making landfall.

With the weather agency warning of natural disasters caused by strong winds and heavy rain through Saturday, flights and shinkansen bullet train services in some regions have already been cancelled for Friday, likely disrupting travelers returning home during one of the year's peak periods.

East Japan Railway Co. said parts of the Tohoku, Joetsu, Hokuriku and Yamagata shinkansen services will be suspended Friday, as will operations between Nagoya and Tokyo stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, according to Central Japan Railway Co.

"We want increased vigilance" in anticipation of natural disasters, a Japan Meteorological Agency official said at a press conference in Tokyo.

In eastern and northeastern Japan, intense storms with swells are projected to hit the regions through Saturday, the agency said.

In the 24 hours from 6 a.m. Thursday, the typhoon is forecast to bring up to 150 millimeters of rain to the Kanto-Koshin region, which includes Tokyo, 100 mm in the Tokai region and 80 mm in the Tohoku region, located in central and northeastern Japan, respectively.

From 6 a.m. Friday, 300 mm is expected to fall on the Kanto-Koshin region and 120 mm in the Tohoku and Tokai regions over the following 24 hours.