Typhoon Hagibis affecting Japan travel

As "violent" Typhoon Hagibis threatens to wreak havoc in Japan, travelers may find themselves having to change plans at the last minute. The typhoon, which is the strongest of the 2019 season thus far, is expected to make landfall in Japan on Saturday, October 12. The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center has classified Hagibis as a "super typhoon," on par with a category five hurricane. Tourists in Japan for the Rugby World Cup have already been affected by the impending storm. Two matches, England-France and New Zealand-Italy, have been preemptively canceled. Japan's national carriers are also exercising caution. Flights departing and arriving from both Tokyo airports (Haneda and Narita) on October 12 have been cancelled, affecting a total of at least 1187 flights and nearly 190,000 passengers. Of that total, ANA canceled a total of 602 flights (490 domestic and 112 international), affecting 101,000 passengers. Meanwhile, JAL cancelled a total of 585 flights (513 domestic, 72 international), affecting 88,000 passengers. JAL is informing travelers that the company "will not charge any handling fees for the changes or refunds resulting from the anticipated effects on operations caused by bad weather (typhoon, etc) or natural disasters."<br/>