Nearly 260,000 residents in Kagoshima and Okinawa have been ordered to evacuate as Typhoon Dolphin barrels toward the archipelago, with violent winds, heavy rain, and high waves expected through Thursday. The storm, packing sustained winds of roughly 40 metres per second, is forecast to pass closest to Okinawa's main island on Thursday afternoon after tracking west-northwest from the waters near Minamidaito Island.
More than 500 flights have been scrapped across the region, including hundreds of cancellations by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways through the weekend. Toyota has suspended operations at nine plants ahead of the storm's arrival, while authorities warn of up to 200 millimetres of rain in parts of Okinawa and the Amami Islands.
Dolphin is expected to cross the East China Sea and make landfall in mainland China on Sunday, the third major system of an above-average typhoon season fueled by El Niño conditions.