Typhoon batters Japan; 10 killed
Typhoon “Jebi” killed 10 people in western Japan, injured 300 more and cut power to 1.2 million homes after the most powerful storm in 25 years hit Japan on Tuesday. Winds of up to 216 kilometers per hour ripped roofs off houses, overturned trucks and swept a 2,500-ton tanker into a bridge. Jebi’s course brought it close to areas hit by rains and flooding that killed more than 200 people in July.
TOKYO— Typhoon “Jebi” killed 10 people in western Japan, injured 300 more and cut power to 1.2 million homes after the most powerful storm in 25 years hit Japan on Tuesday.
About 3,000 tourists stayed overnight at Kansai Airport in western Japan and had to be evacuated by boats because of the floods, the government said on Wednesday.
216 kph winds
Winds up to 216 kilometers per hour ripped off roofs, overturned trucks and swept a 2,500ton tanker into a bridge leading to the airport, the region’s main international gateway and a na- tional transport hub.
The damage to the bridge left the artificial island temporarily cut off.
Vital airport
Kansai Airport is an important hub for Japanese companies to export semiconductors and television footage showed people lining up to buy food and drinks at a convenience store in the airport.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was uncertain when the airport would reopen and some roads and train lines in the affected areas were still closed, he said.
"The government will con- tinue to do everything possible to tackle these issues with utmost urgency,” Suga told a news conference.
Japan’s JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. shut at least one of the refining units at its 135,000 barrels-per-day Sakai refinery in Osaka due to typhoon damage, the trade ministry said.
Many chip plants operate in the Kansai region. Toshiba Memory, the world’s secondlargest maker of flash memory chips, was monitoring developments closely and may need to ship products from other airports if Kansai remains closed, a spokesperson said.
She said the company was not expecting a major impact because its plant at Yokkaichi in central Japan had not been affected by the typhoon.
Days to reopen
It could take several days to a week to reopen Kansai Airport, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, criticized for an initially slow response to devastating floods in July, posted repeated updates on the rescue efforts at Kansai.
Despite its strength, the storm was far from the deadliest Japan has seen in recent years.
In 2011, Typhoon “Talas” killed at least 82 people in the area, while in 2013, a storm that hit south of Tokyo left 40 people dead.
Jebi’s course brought it close to parts of western Japan hit by rains and flooding that killed more than 200 people in July but most of the damage this time appeared to be from the wind.