Swept away: Workers clean up the damage after the wind-blown roof of a kindergarten in Toyonaka, Osaka Pref., after Typhoon Melor, swept through early this morning. KYODO PHOTO
Typhoon slams Japan, leaving 2 dead, 44 injured
A typhoon made landfall in Japan for the first time in two years early Thursday, leaving two people dead and 44 injured and disrupting rail and airline schedules.
After hitting near Aichi Prefecture's Chita Peninsula shortly after 5 a.m., Typhoon Melor, the season's 18th, traveled northeast and gradually weakened, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In Minabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Hiroshi Kitahara, 54, died after hitting a tree felled by the typhoon while delivering newspapers on his bike, while Masaichi Kaji, 69, was killed when a broken branch hit him at a shrine in Fujimi, Saitama Prefecture, local police said.
A 46-year-old surfer drowned in rough seas off Kanagawa Prefecture on Wednesday, and police said they were investigating whether the cause of death is high waves brought by the approaching typhoon.
A Kyodo News tally showed 56 people in 15 prefectures were injured as of noon.
A total of 18 Tokaido Shinkansen bullet-train services have been canceled so far, and more than 20 bullet-train services for the Tohoku, Joetsu, Yamagata and Akita lines have been canceled or delayed, according to the operators.
In the Tokyo metropolitan area, major railway routes, including the Yamanote, Chuo, Keihin-Tohoku and Saikyo lines, as well as the private Odakyu line, were suspended, affecting morning commuters.
More than 440 domestic and international flights were canceled, and parts of expressways were closed in Shizuoka, Aichi and Mie prefectures.
All 434 municipally run elementary and junior high schools in the city of Osaka were closed, while 396 public elementary and junior high schools were also closed in Tokyo.
The typhoon also delayed the opening of court hearings under the lay judge system at the Fukui and Gifu district courts.
In Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, a 2-meter-high, 6-meter-wide section of the stone wall of Hikone Castle collapsed.
In Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, it was reported that tornado-like wind damaged the roofs and storerooms of 50-60 households, according to local police.
Tornado-like wind was also observed in other parts of Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, with a 22-year-old woman suffering cuts to her back from broken window glass.
In Tahara, Aichi Prefecture, a cowshed collapsed due to strong wind, allowing some 100 cows to escape. They were caught about three hours later by police officers and stock farmers.
The last typhoon to make landfall in Japan was in September 2007, the agency said. No typhoon made landfall last year for the first time in eight years.
