Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Authorities have issued severe weather warnings as the powerful storm heads towards Japan’s southwestern islands, threatening widespread disruption.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said on Wednesday that Champi, the year's 30th named storm, was moving west-northwest at 25 kilometres per hour over waters east of the Philippines.
The typhoon has strengthened significantly, with a central atmospheric pressure of 900 hectopascals and maximum sustained winds exceeding 200 kilometres per hour near its centre.
Champi is expected to reach Okinawa Prefecture’s Sakishima Islands, including Ishigaki Island, on Friday, with wind gusts reaching 55 metres per second, waves of up to 11 metres and rainfall totalling 300 millimetres in 24 hours.
Authorities have urged residents to take precautions against destructive winds, towering waves, storm surges and torrential downpours.
Major airlines have announced extensive flight cancellations across southern Japan, with thousands of passengers facing disruption.
The Japan Airlines Group said on 22 October it would cancel 64 flights on Thursday, followed by another 56 on 23 October. Affected routes include Miyako and Ishigaki in Okinawa, as well as remote islands in Kagoshima Prefecture. Eight international flights between Japan and Taiwan are also set to be cancelled on Friday.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) cancelled 21 flights to and from Miyako and Ishigaki on Thursday, with all 34 scheduled services on Friday also cancelled.
The disruption is expected to affect around 16,000 passengers across both airline groups.
The storm has also prompted the cancellation of the 50th Okinawa Industrial Festival, which was due to take place from Friday to Sunday and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.
After moving past the Sakishima Islands, Champi is forecast to head northwards through the East China Sea. Although its exact path remains uncertain, the storm could bring severe weather to western Japan.
Forecasters expect Champi to approach Kyushu over the weekend before developing into an extratropical cyclone near the island on 26 October. Its associated weather system could also trigger widespread downpours across parts of Honshu, Japan’s main island.
The JMA has urged residents to follow the latest forecasts and take early precautions, warning that powerful winds, dangerous seas and intense rainfall could cause further disruption to transport and daily life.
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