Typhoon "Shanshan" brought with it heavy rains and extremely strong winds to southwestern Japan after reaching its shores in the Kagoshima Prefecture area. The storm cut off the electricity supply to more than a quarter of a million households, and dozens of people were injured, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The typhoon, which was designated as "strong" with winds gusting up to 216 km/h, made landfall near the city of Satsumasendai on the southwestern island of Kyushu this morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Authorities warned the storm could be one of the strongest to hit the region, and authorities issued evacuation orders for millions of residents in several prefectures.
One person is missing and 39 people were injured in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, Japanese television reported.
The media broadcast footage of collapsed walls and broken glass on buildings in Miyazaki, apparently from the strong winds, and also of objects strewn on the streets or hanging from power poles.
As of 09:00 this morning (00:00 GMT), more than 250,000 households in seven prefectures were without power, Kyushu-based electricity operator "Kyushu Electric Power" said.
After leaving the island, the storm is expected to approach central and eastern parts of Japan, including the capital Tokyo, in the coming days, the weather service said.
Major car manufacturers such as "Toyota" and "Nissan" temporarily halted work today at some or all of their local plants because of the storm.
Air carriers such as "ANA Holdings" and Japan Airlines announced the cancellation of more than 600 domestic flights. Rail connections in many parts of Kyushu are disrupted.
Typhoon "Shanshan" hits Japan after another one earlier this month - "Ampil", which also caused blackouts and evacuations.