Tokyo braces for Typhoon Ampil as homes evacuated, flights cancelled

TOKYO - Japan grounded hundreds of flights and advised nearly 10,000 households to evacuate in some areas near Tokyo on Friday, as a strong typhoon caused power blackouts in the middle of a major summer holiday week.

Typhoon Ampil, categorised as "very strong" by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), was situated off the Pacific coast of Japan's main island at 8:50 a.m. (2350 GMT Thursday). The agency has two higher categories - "very strong" and "violent".

The typhoon is expected to head towards the eastern region of Kanto, which includes the capital, on Friday afternoon.

Ampil has wind speeds of 45 metres per second with maximum gust of 60 metres per second (216 kph/134 mph), according to the JMA.

"The Kanto region is expected to experience fierce winds that could cause injuries from flying debris or even overturn trucks in motion," the JMA warned on its website.

Mobara City in Chiba Prefecture placed an evacuation order for about 18,500 residents, while dozens of other cities opened special evacuation centres and advised voluntary evacuation.

More than 2,000 households in the Kanto area were hit by blackouts in the morning before power was restored in some areas, the Tokyo Electric Power said.

ANA Holdings said it will cancel 281 domestic flights and 54 international flights slated to leave or arrive on Friday, affecting nearly 70,000 passengers.

Japan Airlines plans to cancel 281 domestic and 38 international flights, affecting about 50,000 passengers.

All the high speed "Shinkansen" bullet train services between Tokyo and Japan's industrial heartland of Nagoya are also cancelled.