Typhoon Mawar update

Japan's Meteorological Agency said that Typhoon Mawar was moving slowly northward over the sea south of Okinawa on Wednesday.

The storm has a central barometric pressure of 965 hectopascals, with winds of up to 126 kilometers per hour near its center and gusts as strong as 180 kilometers per hour.Stormy winds with speeds of at least 90 kilometers per hour are occurring within 165 kilometers from the center.

Okinawa's Sakishima Islands are being buffeted by strong winds, which are becoming more powerful as the typhoon draws closer. Waves are expected to top 9 meters in the Okinawa region on Thursday and Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami region on Friday.The storm is expected to affect Japan over a long period because it is moving relatively slowly.