A typhoon expected to hit Tokyo missed the capital and moved toward northeastern Japan on Sunday after leaving five people dead and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. Authorities said Typhoon Man-Yi was losing strength as it passed southwest of Tokyo, with sustained winds of 56 miles an hour. As of midday Sunday, more than 40,000 people had been evacuated. Forecasters warned of continued heavy rains, high waves and strong winds, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
Typhoon Man-Yi made landfall on the Japanese island of Okinawa on the morning of July 13, 2007, when NASAs Terra satellite captured this image. The typhoon, the fourth typhoon of the 2007 season, had winds between 230 and 295 kilometres per hour (125-160 knots).
Typhoons are common in Japan, but such a powerful typhoon don't usually form until later on in the season. The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Man-Yi may be the most powerful ever observed in the northwest Pacific in July.