TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet ministers met on Friday to discuss preparations for Typhoon Haishen, an extremely strong tropical cyclone approaching the country.

Abe ordered ministers to take early actions, working closely with municipalities and related institutions while making sure to send out information to citizens in a swift and easy-to-understand way.

He also urged the securing of evacuation centers in regions expected to be hit hard by the 10th typhoon of the year, as well as the thorough implementation of measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus among disaster victims.

“There are fears of record-breaking heavy rains, strong winds, high waves and high tides in regions that the typhoon is approaching,” Abe said.

He called on citizens to check their stockpiles of emergency goods and evacuation routes, to refrain from unnecessary travel and to evacuate as early as possible in line with information from local municipalities.

As well as police officers, firefighters and coast guard personnel, 22,000 Self-Defense Forces members will be on standby for rescue efforts. If necessary, SDF members will be deployed without requests from municipalities.

JIJI Press