Flights cancelled amid heavy rain as typhoon approaches Japan

Two people walk in front of security check counters at a quiet Haneda international airport in Tokyo following the cancellation of flights (Kyodo News/AP) Credit: AP/Press Association Images

Heavy rain fell on parts of Japan and airlines cancelled flights on Saturday as an approaching typhoon threatened to dump more rain on a region which was devastated by floods and landslides earlier this month.

Typhoon Jongdari was heading west along Japan’s Pacific coast and was expected to make landfall in central Japan overnight.

It had maximum sustained winds of 78mph (126kph) with gusts up to 112mph (180kph).

Fishermen secure their boats in Kamogawa, near Tokyo Credit: Yoshitaka Sugawara/Kyodo News/AP

Many flights were delayed or canceled at Narita and Haneda, the two main airports serving Tokyo. Most of the cancellations were domestic, though some international travelers were stranded.

The storm brought intermittent heavy rain and windy conditions to Tokyo and a wide swathe of the surrounding area.

A woman watches monitors showing the cancellation of flights, in red, and the track of the typhoon, right, at Haneda international airport in Tokyo Credit: Kyodo News/AP

After making landfall, it is forecast to continue west, where residents were bracing for more rain in an area still recovering from unusually heavy rain that killed more than 200 people in early July.

Authorities issued evacuation advisories ahead of the storm, warning of possible landslides and river flooding.