Residents on Japan's southern islands are preparing for torrential rain and strong winds as Typhoon Chaba bears down on the region.
Authorities have warned of mudslides, flooding and high waves as the season's 18th typhoon is projected to hit islands in the southern Japanese archipelago on Monday.
All the public schools on Okinawa's main island are closed while dozens of flights in the region have been cancelled.
The typhoon could dump rainfall of up to 80mm an hour in some areas of the island, the Japan Meteorological Agency says.
The eye of the storm was 290km south of Naha city on Okinawa on Monday morning, travelling north-northwest at 25km/h, with maximum sustained winds of 180km/h and gusts of 252km/h, the agency said.
In late August, Typhoon Lionrock pounded northeastern Japan, leaving more than 20 people dead. It was the first typhoon that made landfall on the northeast since records began in 1951.
