Typhoon Phanfone heads out to sea after leaving at least one dead in Japan

Powerful typhoon strikes Japan claiming after claiming one life as heavy rains and high winds cause flight delays and chaos for commuters before it headed east out to sea

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A businessman struggles with his umbrella during heavy rain in Tokyo,on Monday morning as Typhoon Phanfone strikes Japan. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:15am, 6 Oct 2014Updated: 8:11pm, 6 Oct 2014

A typhoon lashed Japan with torrential rain on Monday after killing at least one person, forcing the cancellation of flights and prompting warnings to more than 200,000 people to evacuate their homes before it headed out to sea.

Three US servicemen were swept away by high waves lashing the southwestern island of Okinawa on Sunday as Typhoon Phanfone approached. One was found dead and two were missing. A surfer was swept out to sea.

The storm brushed past the capital, Tokyo, and by early afternoon was out over the Pacific, leaving behind skies clear enough that Mount Fuji was clearly visible to the southwest.

Heavy rains had forced the cancellation of a search for victims of Mount Ontake, with 12 people still missing after an eruption last week killed at least 51. A score of households in the foothills of the peak were evacuated out of concerns that heavy rains could cause mudslides as ash was washed downstream.

High waves batter at a port at Kihou town in Mie prefecture, central Japan. Photo: AFP

Tropical Storm Risk, which tracks cyclones, labelled Phanfone a ‘category one’ typhoon, the lowest rung on a scale of one to five, and said it was likely to weaken to a tropical storm later on Monday. It was category four as it approached.

Close to 200,000 households were urged to evacuate due to fears of landslides or flooding as rivers threatened to burst their banks. This included some 20,000 in Tokyo.