Hundreds of Japanese flights and trains were cancelled on Thursday during a major holiday week as another typhoon approached the archipelago. Following Tropical Storm Maria's record rainfall, Typhoon Ampil was expected to pass near Tokyo, home to nearly 40 million people, on Thursday night before moving up the Pacific coast on Friday and Saturday. ANA cancelled around 280 domestic flights scheduled for Friday, affecting over 60,000 passengers, while Japan Airlines cancelled 191 domestic and 26 international flights, impacting 38,600 customers. Significant portions of Japan's bullet train network are also set to be cancelled on Friday, including the heavily used route between Tokyo and Nagoya. Ampil, like Maria before it, occurs during Japan's 'obon' holiday week, when millions travel to their hometowns. At 9am (0000 GMT), Ampil was located 300 kilometers (190 miles) off Chichijima, with gusts reaching up to 180 kilometers per hour. Classified as 'strong', Ampil, named after a Cambodian fruit, is predicted to move back into the Pacific on Saturday and Sunday.
Disaster Management Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura urged the public to stay informed about evacuation advisories and to take early safety measures during a regular briefing. The weather agency cautioned residents in eastern regions about potential violent gusts, flooding, overflowing rivers, and landslides. Japan frequently faces severe typhoons that can lead to fatal landslides. Recent studies indicate that typhoons in the region are forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly, and lasting longer over land due to climate change. Researchers from Singaporean and American universities analyzed over 64,000 modeled historical and future storms from the 19th century through the end of the 21st century to reach these conclusions.
