Highlights
Central Japan Railway company to cancel or suspend around 50 bullet train services
A risk of record-breaking winds in the capital and other regions
Tokyo: Typhoon Faxai, upgraded to a "very strong" storm with potentially record winds and rain, battered the Tokyo region late Sunday, sparking evacuation warnings to tens of thousands and transport disruption.
Faxai, packing winds of up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, was bearing down on the Japanese capital and was expected to pass right over the megacity in the early hours of Monday.
Authorities issued non-compulsory evacuation warnings to more than 110,000 people, as forecasters cautioned the rain and wind could reach "record" proportions.
"Please be on full alert against gusts and high waves and be vigilant about landslides, floods and swollen rivers," the agency said in a statement.
Faxai was likely to cause havoc with the Monday morning commute in Tokyo with train operators forced to suspend major lines until at least 8am.
"We need to inspect tracks and check if there is any damage as the typhoon is expected to pass through the region overnight," a train company spokesman told AFP.
The typhoon already caused some travel disruption on its approach with some 100 bullet trains connecting Tokyo with central and western Japanese cities scrapped on Sunday, along with ferries services in Tokyo bay.
Airlines have already cancelled more than 100 flights scheduled on Monday while some coastal highways were closed west of the capital in Kanagawa due to the storm, according to local media.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage but eight surfers were rescued amid high waves off Shizuoka in cental Japan after they were swept out to sea, local officials said.
"Two helicopters were dispatched while special rescuers rushed out to sea," a fire department spokesman told AFP.
"We sent two of them to hospital but no one was in danger of dying," he added.
Some department stores and amusement parks, including Tokyo Disneyland, closed earlier than scheduled due to the approaching storm.
Faxai was churning near Izuoshima island, south of Tokyo in the Pacific, at 10:00 pm on Sunday (1300 GMT), travelling north at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour and already producing high waves.
Japan is well used to severe tropical storms and typhoons during late summer and autumn.
Powerful typhoon Krosa lashed western Japan in mid-August, bringing strong winds and torrential rain that claimed one life.
And in late August, heavy rains left three people dead as massive floods also hit western Japan.
Typhoon Faxai comes just as teams begin arriving for the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on September 20.
The French team managed to sneak in just ahead of the typhoon and reach their training camp near Mount Fuji.
However, the Australian Wallabies squad found their preparations disrupted as the typhoon delayed their scheduled arrival.
Earlier report
Japan braced for Typhoon Faxai on Sunday cancelling trains and flights in Tokyo with destructive winds of up to 216 kph (134 mph) and heavy rain expected to hit the region overnight, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Faxai, a woman's name in Lao, could dump as much as 300 millimetres of rain in the next 24 hours, said the agency.
"Winds and rains could pick up suddenly, causing severe storms at sea, and there is a risk of record-breaking winds in the capital and other regions," it said on its website.
National broadcaster NHK warned that high-speed winds could fell power lines and damage homes, while heavy rains could trigger flooding and landslides.
In preparation, the Central Japan Railway company said it would cancel or suspend around 50 bullet train services between Tokyo and Osaka from 0900 GMT and warned of the possibility of additional delays and destination changes due to the storm.
Japan Airlines it had cancelled around 20 flights to and from Tokyo's two airports on Sunday, and warned of more cancellations and delays.
ANA Holdings said it had cancelled all flights on Sunday to Hachijojima, a small island located around 300 kms south of Tokyo, adding that some flights to and from Tokyo may be delayed or cancelled on Sunday and Monday.
