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Tokyo spared worst of Higos
TOKYO, Japan -- A rapidly moving Typhoon Higos has swept over Tokyo, lashing the Japanese capital with heavy rains and high winds but sparing the city from extensive damage. Because the typhoon was moving so quickly -- about 80 kilometers an hour -- the destructive power of the weather was dissipated. But the strong winds and fierce rains did force the cancellation of more than 200 flights before the weather system raced north to the island of Hokkaido. Higos, with winds with occasional gusts as high as 180 kilometers per hour (120 mph), also halted trains and prompted officials in some northern cities to urge people to evacuate, fearing landslides, Reuters reports. The eye of Higos, which means "fig" in the native language of the Pacific island of Guam, passed over a peninsula 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Tokyo and then the neighboring industrial city of Kawacing over the capital. By Wednesday morning the weather in Tokyo had calmed down considerably, leaving only the cleaning up to worry about. There were several reports of minor injuries around Japan, none requiring hospitalization, and three houses were reported to have lost their roofs, Reuters reports. At least 23,000 households lost power. While the Typhoon has now weakened it still has the potential to do serious damage to rice and apple crops on Hokkaido as it passes over Wednesday. Japanese media had described the storm as one of the most powerful since World War Two, but an official at the Meteorological Agency said that was not the case. Higos is the third typhoon to hit Japan since the northern spring. Almost a month ago the southern island of Okinawa was lashed by Typhoon Sinlaku, bringing with it winds of up to 145 kph (90 mph), injuring 29 people and cutting power to tens of thousands of homes. Reuters contributed to this report.
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