A strong tropical storm lashes parts of Japan and disrupts holiday travel

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A strong tropical storm is lashing central and western Japan with heavy rain and high winds, causing flooding and power blackouts and paralyzing transportation as many people have been traveling for a Buddhist holiday week. Lan weakened from a typhoon early Tuesday morning and made landfall in the central prefecture of Wakayama with sustained winds of up to 55 mph. The storm reportedly injured about 20 people, caused rivers to overflow, damaged some buildings and paralyzed traffic. Local municipalities advised more than 230,000 residents to take shelter in safer buildings such as community centers. A foot of rain could fall in parts of central Japan through Wednesday morning.