Rain lashes Tokyo as typhoon passes, kills 1

Typhoon Fitow headed northward after killing one person, injuring at least 35, disrupting traffic and cutting power.

Heavy rains and strong winds lashed Tokyo on Friday as Typhoon Fitow headed northward after killing one person, injuring at least 35, disrupting traffic and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes.

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Authorities suspended some train services in Tokyo and warned of possible landslides and flooding in the capital and other affected areas.

The storm made landfall in Kanagawa prefecture (state) just southwest of Tokyo, and as of early today was sweeping through Ashikaga City, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, maintaining winds of up to 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour, the Meteorological Agency said.

The typhoon, which was a Category 1 storm, the weakest on a scale of 5, has dumped heavy rain on parts of Japan's main island of Honshu since Wednesday, up to 600 millimeters (24 inches) in some areas.

Meteorologists considered the typhoon dangerous because its slow speed of about 20 kph (12 mph) gave it time to accumulate moisture from the ocean, and because it was passing over heavily populated areas, including the capital area with some 25 million people.

57,000 homes were without power in 10 prefectures (states) including Tokyo and authorities issued evacuation advisories to 950 homes in Shizuoka and two other prefectures, according to the broadcaster.

Shizuoka is 150 kilometers (94 miles) west of Tokyo. Nearly 60 houses have been flooded in central Japan, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Hundreds of public schools in central and eastern Japan plan to close on Friday, NHK said.