Typhoon heads for Japan

The Strait Times
http://www.straitstimes.com

Aug 30, 2009

TOKYO - A TYPHOON churned towards the Tokyo region on Sunday as Japan went to the polls for a vote widely expected to end more than half a century of almost unbroken conservative rule.

Typhoon Krovanh, named after a Cambodian tree, was over the Pacific Ocean, more than 600 kilometres southeast of the Japanese capital early on Sunday.

'There is a possibility that it will hit eastern Japan' early on Monday, an official from Japan's meteorological agency said.

The storm was packing gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour near its centre and moving northwest.

The agency has warned of heavy rain, strong winds and high waves for areas along the Pacific coast.

The landmark election is expected to see the untested centre-left Democratic Party of Japan oust the Liberal Democratic Party from government. -- AFP