A powerful typhoon loomed off south-western Japan on Sunday, threatening large areas of the country with fierce wind and rain.
The storm, which is expected to hit Kyushu island early on Monday, is likely to be Japan's strongest this year, with winds at its centre gusting up to 160 km per hour (100 mph).
Television showed pictures of flooded houses in outlying southern islands and huge waves battering the coast. The arrival of Chaba, which means "hibiscus" in Thai, coincides with the highest tides of the year, leading to increased worry about damage. At 11 am (0200 GMT), Chaba was 140 km (85 miles) east of the island of Amami Oshima, 540 km (335 miles) south-west of Tokyo, travelling west north-west at 15 km per hour (10 mph), the Meteorological Agency said.
The slow speed of the typhoon is likely to mean it sits over areas and batters them for longer, causing more damage with up to 800 millimetres of rain expected in some areas over the next day.
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