Typhoon Vongfong hits southern Japan, moving to main island

Typhoon Vongfong hit Japan's southern island Kyushu earlier on Monday and was expected to bear down on the main island Honshu later in the day, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, Japan's NHK broadcaster said. The strongest storm to hit Japan this year has forced the evacuation of about 450,000 people on the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, as well as Okinawa which was hit by Vongfong on Sunday, according to NHK.

Vongfong battered the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, 600 km (1,000 miles) south of Tokyo, as well as Kyushu and Shikoku islands, injuring 52 people, NHK said. On Sunday, wind-speeds weakened significantly on Saturday's peak of 234 kmh hour (146 mph), which had made Vongfong into a "super typhoon".

Japan Airlines Co spokesman said 92 flights connecting Japan's western cities and the eastern cities of Osaka and Tokyo had been cancelled. ANA Holdings Inc also cancelled flights flying in and out of the southern cities, according to ANA website. A major baseball game in Osaka city between the Orix Buffaloes and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters for the Pacific League playoff was also postponed, the first time a Nippon Professional Baseball playoff game was canceled due to a typhoon.