“Very strong” Typhoon Moifa is approaching several islands in southern Japan on Sunday, prompting local authorities to urge residents to take shelter from “strong waves and winds” before it makes landfall.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the typhoon was detected on Sunday afternoon 180 kilometers south of Ishigaki (an island in the southernmost archipelago near Taiwan), causing winds up to 216 kilometers per hour and moving northwest. “Very strong Typhoon Moiwa is expected to approach (from the Ishigaki area) on Monday. The area is expected to experience strong waves and strong winds during the day on Tuesday,” she said.
She also indicated that the speed of the hurricane’s spread will be weakened, but not its intensity, adding that “the region could suffer from its effects for a long time.” The government of Okinawa, a prefecture comprising more than 150 islands in southern Japan, has asked elderly people living on Ishigaki and other islands in the region to take shelter before the typhoon hits.
“I would like to ask everyone to be aware of strong winds and heavy rains … and take action to protect lives first,” the governor of Okinawa said Sunday. According to the expectations of the Japanese agency, after Ishigaki, Capelin will go to northern Shanghai in China.
