Major typhoon nears southern Japan, Taiwan
Posted: 05 August 2009 1451 hrs

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TOKYO: The first major typhoon of the season was expected to hit islands in far-southern Japan by Friday and approach Taiwan by the weekend, the weather agency said.

Typhoon Morakot, which means "emerald" in Thai, was moving with gusts of up to 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour toward Japan's Sakishima Islands, the agency said on Wednesday.

Several dozen typhoons hit Japan every year in the summer and early autumn, frequently disrupting air and rail transport.

Torrential rains last month triggered floods and landslides in Japan that killed at least 28 people in southern and western regions.

- AFP/yb