Typhoon Mindulle Hits Japan

Heavy rain drenched the Japanese capital Tokyo as Typhoon Mindulle swept in, bringing floods that suspended train services and high winds that forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights.

The category one typhoon, the weakest on a scale for storms, dumped more than 10 cm (4 inches) of rain an hour in parts of Tokyo and the surrounding region.

Travellers were stranded at Tokyo’s Haneda airport with about 300 domestic flights cancelled by early afternoon.

The capital’s Naritia airport, its international hub, temporarily closed its two runways as wind speeds increased.

Train services throughout the Tokyo region and some express bullet trains on routes north of the city were pared back or halted.

Mindulle, which is Korean for a type of dandelion, is forecast to travel along Japan northeast seaboard after passing over Tokyo, bringing wind and heavy rain to the north of the country.