Powerful Typhoon Nabi approaches southern Japan, heavy rain in Tokyo area kills one

Officials warned of heavy rains and strong winds Monday as a powerful typhoon approached southern Japan.

Typhoon Nabi was packing winds of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour as it plowed toward Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. As of early Monday it was located about 140 kilometers (88 miles) east-southeast of Amami Oshima island, it said.

The agency said up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) of rain was forecast for southern Kyushu. Nabi, which means butterfly in Korean, was expected to approach western Japan and Hokkaido later, the agency said. Separately, Tokyo and its surrounding area were hit by heavy rains late Sunday that killed one person and flooded thousands of homes.

A 61-year-old man drowned in Saitama prefecture (state), just west of Tokyo, while walking in a flooded street, police said. Up to 23 centimeters (9.2 inches) of rain was recorded in parts of Tokyo overnight, the Meteorological Agency said. About 2,850 households in Tokyo, Saitama and Kanagawa were flooded, Kyodo News agency reported.

Last year, Japan was struck by a record 10 typhoons and tropical storms, leaving nearly 220 people dead or missing _ the largest casualty toll since 1983. Typhoon Tokage, which hit in October, was Japan's deadliest storm in more than a decade, killing 83 people, AP reports.