TOKYO: A powerful typhoon sped closer on Wednesday to mainland Japan, with the southern island of Kyushu bracing to be hit first. Typhoon Usagi was about 1,100 kilometres south of Tokyo and expected to land on Kyushu on Friday morning before veering towards the most populous island of Honshu, the meteorological agency said.

Usagi — which means rabbit in Japanese — was accompanied by strong winds and was moving towards the northwest at nearly 30 kilometres an hour carrying gusts of 234 kilometres an hour.—AFP