Japan preparing for Super Typhoon Hagibis

Japan is bracing for the arrival of Super Typhoon Hagibis, which is poised to hit Tokyo as early as Saturday (Oct. 12).

The New York Times reported that as of Thursday morning (Oct. 10), the center of the storm was approximately 950 miles south of Tokyo, moving nine miles per hour to the north and expected to pass along the east coast of Japan on Saturday evening. While the storm is expected to weaken to winds of around 90 miles per hour as it approaches Japan, currently the fastest sustained winds of the storm, were recorded at 160 miles per hour, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

A super typhoon is classified as a storm with sustained winds of more than 150 miles per hour, the report said.

Japanese officials were urging residents to prepare for potentially severe weather, including dangerous storm surges and, in advance of the typhoon’s arrival, two Rugby World Cup games in Japan (between England and France and Italy and New Zealand) have been cancelled, an historic first for the tournament.

Japan Rail, along with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, have announced that they will suspend services this weekend, while other airlines such as Cathay Pacific, are also monitoring the situation closely.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!