Japan recommends the evacuation of 5.5 million people before the arrival of Typhoon Haishen

The owner of a cafeteria prepares the crystals of his establishment before the arrival of the typhoon, in Uwajima, southwest of Japan.

Japan is preparing to receive the onslaught of Typhoon Haishen, which has been preceded by hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall.

The epicenter of the violent storm is near reaching the shores of the southern island of Kyushu, the country's third largest and home to 14 million people, on Sunday night.

The authorities have already recommended the evacuation of 5.5 million people, according to public broadcaster

, orders that are not mandatory, but that Japan has urged to be followed.

At 3:00 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. in Spain) the typhoon was approximately 110 kilometers southwest of the island of Yakusima, with gusts of wind reaching 216 kilometers per hour.

The town of Minamidaito, further east, registered currents of up to 182 kilometers per hour early Sunday, according to data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The storm has also caused a power outage in almost 30,000 homes in Kagoshima prefecture and more than 3,000 in Okinawa;

as well as the cancellation of more than 500 flights and the closure of supermarkets, restaurants and all kinds of commercial premises.

Still Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, awaiting his replacement after resigning last week due to health problems, has called an emergency Cabinet meeting to coordinate his government's response.

"Maximum precaution is necessary, since record rains, violent winds and high tides are expected," the president warned the population.

"I ask people in Japan, especially those who live in high-risk flood areas, to stay informed and take steps to ensure their safety."

Haishen is heading towards the interior of the island of Kyushu, which could register up to 600 milliliters of rain in some areas before six in the morning on Monday (23.00 on Sunday in Spain).

There, local authorities have issued evacuation notices for nearly 2.5 million of its residents, particularly in the cities of Kagoshima and Miyazaki.

Some people have chosen to take refuge in hotels instead of going to local schools and designated community centers, in order to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

At the moment, the victims are reduced to two injured.

Forecasts from the Meteorological Agency point to the typhoon moving off the western coast of Kyushu from Sunday night until early Monday morning;

from where it will advance until reaching the Korean peninsula.

In this way, Haishen follows in the footsteps of Typhoon Maysak, which hit South Korean soil last Thursday, leaving at least two fatalities and thousands of homes without electricity.

In October last year, Typhoon Hagibis left 30 dead in the Japanese country, the most powerful since Typhoon Ida left more than 12,000 dead and missing in 1958.