Strong typhoon bears down on Japan mainland

Japan's mainland was braced Sunday for waves of up to 10 metres (33 feet) as powerful Typhoon Jelawat barrelled in, a day after it injured scores of people on the southern Okinawa island. By early evening the typhoon, which was packing winds of up to 180 kilometres (112 miles) per hour, was close to the coastal city of Shingu and expected to make landfall in the coming hours, forecasters said. It would then move northeastwards up the main island of Honshu and churn towards Tokyo later in the day, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, warning of towering waves and torrential rainfall in the next 24 hours. At least 100 people were injured in Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures and air and train travel was disrupted after the typhoon hit there Saturday with winds strong enough to flip cars, public broadcaster NHK said.