Severe tropical storm Khanun makes slow approach to Japan

Severe Tropical Storm Khanun is moving in a northerly direction, taking southwestern Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture into its storm zone.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says that as of noon on Wednesday, the storm was located 130 kilometers off Makurazaki City in Kagoshima, and moving north-northwest at 10 kilometers per hour. Gusts of 133 kilometers per hour were observed in Makurazaki City on Wednesday morning, as rain continued to intensify across southern Kyushu.

Authorities have issued mudslide alerts for parts of Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. They said some rivers in Miyazaki Prefecture are at extreme risk of flooding. The storm is expected to move north over the sea west of Kyushu and to reach the Tsushima Strait on Thursday morning.