Japan's southwestern islands on high alert as powerful Typhoon Bavi approaches

Early on Friday, Typhoon Bavi was nearing Japan's Sakishima Islands — a remote chain of islands near Taiwan — with maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100 mph), prompting locals to tape up windows and drape windproof nets across homes and shops.

Airlines cancelled dozens ⁠of flights in the region, including for Saturday.

In Ishigaki, one of the islands in the Sakishima chain popular with tourists, residents stocked up on supplies, emptying shelves of instant noodles at a local supermarket. Some public beaches and coastal parks and the local ferry terminal appeared closed.

"I heard that this one will be pretty big," said Hiroshi Nomura, as he strung windproof nets across his bicycle rental store. "I'm a little concerned about whether our typhoon preparations are enough."

Taiwan Readies For Deluge Of Rain

In neighbouring Taiwan, financial markets closed for the day, with a large swathe of the north and east also off work. Taipei set up stations for residents ‌to ⁠collect sandbags.

Bavi is not expected to make landfall in Taiwan but will dump huge amounts of rain on the island — some areas could get up to one metre (3.3 feet) of rain — starting late on Friday.

Taiwan said more than 1,000 people have been evacuated, mainly from the mountainous eastern coast, and nearly 29,000 military personnel were on standby to help relief efforts.

"Although ⁠the typhoon has weakened slightly and has been downgraded to a moderate typhoon, its storm radius is large and it may still bring strong winds and heavy rain to many areas," Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te wrote on his Facebook page.

Taiwan's airlines ⁠have cancelled all of their flights on Saturday from the main international airport at Taoyuan outside Taipei.

TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said it would delay the scheduled release of its June sales data from Friday to ⁠Monday.

Late on Saturday, Bavi is forecast to make landfall around the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, home to 10 million people.