Local airports were closed and some 600,000 were told to evacuate their homes, but most did not, opting to stay indoors to protect themselves from destructive winds.A powerful typhoon that hit on Tuesday the Japanese islands of Okinawa left injured, paralyzed transport and led U.S. forces stationed there to cancel all outdoor activities.
The Okinawa government said 10 people were injured, one of them seriously. Also, a man was missing from a fishing boat off the island Kyushu, north.
One of the largest and most intense storm to hit Japan in summer Neoguri typhoon had sustained winds of 194 kilometers (120 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph (148 mph), said the Japan Meteorological Agency.
`` There is a risk of strong winds and torrential rains. Please refrain from outdoor activities that are not essential `` said Meteorological Agency official Satoshi Ebihara. Please keep `` extreme caution.''
More than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan are stationed in Okinawa, home to several bases, including Kadena, the biggest U.S. air base in Asia. An alert on its website said that given the level of the storm all outdoor activities were prohibited.
Television images showed a destroyed building, damaged walls and trees down in Naha, the capital of Okinawa.
As typhoons moving along the Japanese coast, often coming in to land in the summer, the country is well prepared. Damages are likely much higher because of the typhoon rains if landfall as expected on Thursday or Friday and travels through the Japanese archipelago.
The storm was moving slowly and was losing strength, but its vastness and delays could increase the potential damage, forecasters said.
Forecasts say a storm is heading towards the island of Kyushu, and then through the main island of Honshu in Japan. Is expected to lose some of its force once it is on earth, but the winds and heavy rains could cause mudslides and other damage, Ebihara said.
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