Japanese auto giants Toyota and Nissan were poised to call a halt to production on Monday as Typhoon Hinnamnor approached its shores.
The country was bracing itself for the impact of the storm with airlines cancelling flights and some companies suspending production at factories in the western part of the country.
The typhoon was already pounding parts of the westernmost main island of Kyushu with heavy rain on Monday, with both rain and winds expected to worsen as the storm brushes by on Tuesday and heads towards Korea, which raised its typhoon alert level to the highest.
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Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Samsung Heavy Industries said they would halt operations early on Tuesday.
In Japan, parts of Kyushu were expected to be hit by some 300 millimetres (12 inches) of rain in the 24 hours to noon on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, also warning of strong winds and storm surges.
Some 70 flights were cancelled on Monday, Japanese media said. Toyota Motor Corp said it will suspend some evening shifts at three plants in western Japan, while Nissan Motor Corp and Nissan Shatai Co subsidiaries in Fukuoka prefecture were expected to suspend production for Monday night and Tuesday daylight shifts.
South Korea raised its typhoon-alert to its highest level on Monday as approaching typhoon forced flight cancellations, the suspension of some business operations and the closure of schools.
A spokesperson for Korea’s LG Electronics said it would halt operations on Tuesday at its Gumi production facilities that make large OLED TVs, while steelmaker POSCO is halting operations at its production facilities including its furnaces on Tuesday, the Yonhap news agency said.
Airlines Cancel Flights
SK Innovation, owner of South Korea’s top refiner SK Energy, said it asked carrier ships not to operate until the typhoon passes.
Korean Air Lines and Asiana Airlines have cancelled most of their Monday flights to Jeju Island, according to their websites, while budget airlines such as Air Seoul and Jin Air have cancelled some of their flights.
President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would be on emergency standby, a day after ordering authorities to do their best to minimise damage from the typhoon.
Warnings have been issued in the southern cities of Gwangju, Busan, Daegu and Ulsan, as well as on Jeju, while the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters has upgraded its typhoon alert level to the highest in its four-tier system, for the first time in five years.
No casualties have been reported though more than 100 people have been evacuated and some facilities have been damaged by floods.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
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