Typhoon Shanshan makes landfall in Japan, killing 3 and snarling air traffic

At least three people were killed in southwestern Japan on Thursday as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in Kagoshima prefecture, bringing heavy rain and very strong winds as well as snarling air traffic and knocking out power to over a quarter million households. Major automakers including Toyota and Nissan suspended operations in some or all of their domestic factories due to the storm. The typhoon, with gusts of up to 55 metres per second, made landfall near Satsumasendai city located in the country's southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday morning, the weather agency said. Authorities warned the storm could be one of the strongest ever to hit the region, and local governments have issued evacuation orders for millions of residents in several prefectures. Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have already announced cancellations of more than 600 domestic flights. Train services have been suspended in many areas of Kyushu.<br/>