Typhoon Neoguri slammed into Japan's southern main island early today after lashing the Okinawa island chain, with three people killed as powerful winds and torrential rains battered the country.
"It landed near Akune City shortly before 7:00 am (2200 GMT yesterday)," an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Akune sits on the western coast of Japan's southern main island of Kyushu.
The typhoon's winds slowed somewhat overnight, with the storm packing gusts of up to 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour as it moved east at 25 kilometres per hour.
The system is forecast to move along the Japanese archipelago later in the week after crossing Kyushu.
Officials said Neoguri would bring torrential rain and warned of the risk of flooding and landslides, after the storm forced local authorities to advise half a million people to seek shelter in Okinawa earlier in the week.
