In a statement Friday, the Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Hagibis, the 19th named storm of the season, was projected to hit either the Tokai region or the Kanto region on Saturday evening or later and grind its way north through Tohoku.
The typhoon, considered the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale used in the United States, is forecast to bring fierce winds and downpours to a large swath of the mainland, the agency said.
At a Friday morning news conference, agency official Yasushi Kajihara said the storm was such a threat that a special heavy rain warning might be issued.
According to the agency, Hagibis could trigger record rainfall on par with a deadly typhoon in 1958 that triggered mudslides in Kanto and flooded the Kano River in Shizuoka Prefecture, leaving 888 dead and 381 missing.
Major transportation disruptions are in store this weekend.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) announced Friday that it will suspend many train runs Saturday.
The Shonan-Shinjuku Line, for example, will be halted for the entire day, with other major routes, including the Chuo, Yamanote, Saikyo and Keihin Tohoku lines, being halted at around noon. It will also significantly scale back bullet train runs, with few shinkansen slated to depart from Tokyo after 1 p.m., it said.
Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central) meanwhile said it will cancel all shinkansen services between Tokyo and Nagoya throughout Saturday, while West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) plans suspensions between Shin-Osaka and Okayama stations from the afternoon onward.
Supermarkets are going the extra mile on safety precautions.
In a rather unusual step, major chain Ito Yokado said it will close 124 outlets in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Gifu, Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures throughout Saturday. Department store Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings announced the same day that its Shinjuku, Ginza and Ebisu stores in Tokyo will close on Saturday as well.
Theme parks are no exception either. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will close on Saturday for the first time since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011, operator Oriental Land Co. said. Universal Studios Japan said its Osaka facility will do the same.
Toyota Motor Corp. said it will halt plants in Fukuoka, Mie and Gifu prefectures.
