TOKYO, June 10: A strong typhoon was churning north over the Pacific towards the Japanese archipelago Monday, with heavy rain and winds threatening to put a dampener on World Cup matches, although rain would not stop play, officials said.

Typhoon Noguri (Korean for racoon), was advancing at 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) per hour north of Okinawa island some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) southwest of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said.

“It is still uncertain if the typhoon will hit the Japanese archipelago directly, but even if it misses, it is expected to trigger heavy rain and wind early this week,” said a spokesman for the state agency.

“The chances are high that we will have heavy rain at some of the World Cup venues,” the agency said.

On the other hand the risk of the typhoon approaching South Korea, co-host of the event, were slim, the spokesman added.

The state agency expected rainfall of up to 150 millimeters (six inches) by Tuesday morning on Kyushu island, where Tunisia play Belgium at the Oita stadium Monday evening.

Rain was already falling in Oita, but it was associated with the seasonal rain front rather than the storm system and the agency officially declared this year’s rainy season had started in the region on Monday morning.

Noguri was packing winds of up to 108 kilometers (65 miles) per hour near its center and generated gusts of more than 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour within a 110-kilometer (70-mile) radius.

The eye of the system is forecast to make landfall over Kysuhu island Tuesday and move along Japan’s main island of Honshu on Wednesday bringing heavy rain and wind.

Despite expected stormy weather, Japanese World Cup organisers said there were no plans to change the game plan so far.

“As far as I know, it was World War II that last forced the cancellation of World Cup matches,” a spokesman said.—AFP