Typhoon heads towards Japan’s major cities leaving devastation in its wake

Typhoon Neoguri left toppled trees, flooded cars and bent railings on the southern island, which experienced its heaviest rainfall in a half century, according to the local government.

One of the biggest storms to hit during Japan’s summer, Neoguri was forecast to hit Kyushu island before travelling across the main island of Honshu, which includes the major cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Kyushu’s Fukuoka Prefecture issued warnings for strong winds, high tides and heavy rains, and advised people to stay indoors.

The torrents of rainfall expected could trigger landslides and floods, and much of eastern Japan was at risk of experiencing lightning and tornadoes.

On Okinawa, nearly 38,000 homes were still without power yesterday. At its peak on Tuesday, more than 105,000 homes were without power.

The Okinawan government has raised the injury toll to 30, from 17. A man was reported missing from a fishing boat in rough seas off Kyushu to the north. Neoguri, which means “raccoon dog” in Korean, was moving north with sustained winds of 67mph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.