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'The situation is now worse': Four dead as typhoon smashes Japan

The most powerful typhoon to hit Tokyo in decades has smashed into northern Japan after fierce rain and wind paralysed the capital, killing four people while millions are under evacuation warnings, rivers are flooded and streets are deserted.

Authorities lifted rain and flood warnings for the Kanto region around a becalmed Tokyo before dawn on Sunday but imposed them on areas further north after Typhoon Hagibis blasted through the capital.

Attention focused on Fukushima, where Tokyo Electric Power Co overnight reported irregular readings from sensors monitoring water in its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Typhoon smashes Japan, killing four people. Source: AAP
Typhoon smashes Japan, killing four people. Source: AAP

Three people died in Chiba, Gunma and Kanagawa prefectures surrounding Tokyo. A 50-year-old man was killed near Tokyo early on Saturday in a car overturned by punishing winds, while another person died after being washed away in a car, public broadcaster NHK said.

Meanwhile a man in his 60s was found with no vital signs in a flooded apartment in Kawasaki.

Seventeen were missing early on Sunday, nine people remain missing in landslides and flooding, it said.

Deadly typhoon smashes Japan, shuts down Tokyo
Cars sit submerged in water in the residential area hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in central Japan. Source: AAP

Authorities issued evacuation advisories and orders for more than six million people across the country as the storm unleashed the heaviest rain and winds in years.

Some 80 injuries have been reported so far, while more than 270,000 households lost power, NHK said.

The storm, which the government said could be the strongest to hit Tokyo since 1958, brought record-breaking rainfall in many areas, including the popular resort town of Hakone, which was hit with 939.5 mm of rain over 24 hours.

Deadly typhoon smashes Japan, shuts down Tokyo
Destroyed houses and vehicle are seen following a strong wind near Tokyo. Source: AAP

Hagibis, which means "speed" in the Philippine language Tagalog, made landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu on Saturday evening. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook Tokyo shortly after.

Even as the typhoon moved away from the capital late on Saturday, one expert warned of further flooding as several surrounding prefectures began releasing water from dams, letting it flow downstream.

"The situation is now worse than this evening," Nobuyuki Tsuchiya, director of the Japan Riverfront Research Centre, told Reuters.

Deadly typhoon smashes Japan, shuts down Tokyo
Surging waves hit against the breakwater while Typhoon Hagibis approaches at a port. Source: AAP

About 1.5 million people in Tokyo live below sea level.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest alert level for 12 prefectures, warning of potential for once in decades rain totals. It lifted the alerts early Sunday.

"Damage from floods and landslides is likely taking place already," an agency official told a news conference carried by NHK. "It is critical that people take action urgently to protect their lives and the lives of loved ones."

Deadly typhoon smashes Japan, shuts down Tokyo
Usually bustling entertainment and shopping districts such as Shibuya and Ginza were almost deserted. Source: AAP

The capital's main airports, Haneda and Narita, stopped flights from landing and connecting trains were suspended, forcing the cancellation of more than a thousand flights.

Train operators suspended bullet train services extensively, while many train and subway lines in Tokyo were also down for most of Saturday.

Usually bustling entertainment and shopping districts such as Shibuya and Ginza were deserted.

Tokyo Disneyland was closed, its first weather-related closure since 1984, and supermarkets ran out of bottled water, batteries and other disaster-related goods.

Many people in and around Tokyo took shelter in temporary evacuation facilities early, before the worst of the storm arrived.

Japanese Formula One Grand Prix organisers cancelled all practice and qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday (local time).

Two matches of the Rugby World Cup due to be played were also cancelled.

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