Typhoon Shanshan struck southwest Japan on Thursday, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains, resulting in authorities issuing nationwide evacuation notices to 5.2 million people.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said in a news conference that three people had been killed and one person was missing, while the disaster management agency said 45 people had sustained injuries from the typhoon.

Authorities have warned that Typhoon Shanshan could potentially be one of the strongest storms to strike the region, causing power blackouts, increased traffic, and disrupting factory operations. 

Approximately 230,000 households in seven prefectures were left without power on Thursday afternoon, the Kyushu Electric Power Co. reported. However, the company said earlier that the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai city was not affected despite rainfall.

According to a Japanese weather agency, the typhoon was near Unzen city in the Nagasaki prefecture at 1.45 pm (4.45 am GMT) with gusts of up to 180km per hour. The storm then made its way north at around 15km per hour.

"I've never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life," funeral parlor employee Tomoki Maedatold told Reuters after the typhoon struck Miyazaki city in southern Kyushu, shattering windows and breaking down walls of some buildings. 

The weather agency said the typhoon is expected to hit the county's central and eastern regions, including the capital city of Tokyo.

Factory and business closures, halt in operations

The storm halted operations and led to the closure of several businesses and factories across the country.

The automobile industry's operations were also disrupted, with Toyota suspending all its local plants, while Nissan and Honda ceased production in some of their factories.

Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, announced the cancellation of around 800 flights, the transport ministry said, adding that train services have also been suspected in the Kyushu area, with hundreds of bus and ferry services halted.

Japanese urged not to hoard as fears of possible megaquake spread

The typhoon is not the only natural disaster Japan has been fearing this month.

Japanese authorities urged the public to avoid excessive hoarding, as fears of a potential megaquake triggered a spike in demand for disaster kits and everyday essentials earlier this month.

At a Tokyo supermarket on August 10, a sign apologized to customers for the shortage of certain products, attributing the scarcity to “quake-related media reports.”

“Potential sales restrictions are on the way,” the sign noted, adding bottled water was already being rationed due to “unstable” procurement.

Local media indicated that retailers along the Pacific coastline have also seen a spike in demand for disaster-related supplies.

The advisory focuses on the Nankai Trough subduction zone in the Pacific Ocean, a region known for generating massive earthquakes between two tectonic plates.

Destructive earthquakes with magnitudes of eight or nine have struck this zone roughly once every century. The Japanese government had previously estimated a 70% chance of another major quake occurring within the next 30 years.