The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo cautions U.S. citizens that Typhoon Saola (Typhoon No. 22) is expected to bring extremely high winds, dangerous storm tides, heavy rainfall, and possible flooding to areas of Okinawa Prefecture and Amami Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture beginning early Saturday, October 28, and continuing through late Sunday, October 29. The storm may affect neighboring islands including Miyakojima Island, and Kumejima Islands. In conjunction with this storm, the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued high wave advisories and gale warning for all of Okinawa Prefecture and Amami Oshima Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture.
As of 9:00 AM on Friday, October 27, U.S. Military installations on Okinawa have updated their Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR) to TCCOR 2, meaning destructive winds are possible within 24 hours.
Locations from Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands and Amami Oshima Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture can still expect heavy rainfall and sustained winds over 60 mph with gusts reaching 98 mph beginning October 28. If the storm continues as forecast, from October 29 through October 30 it may affect coastal regions of Japan including Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu as it moves toward the northeast.
Heavy rainfall and winds may cause landslides in some areas. Transportation may be disrupted in affected areas. If you are traveling, please confirm your schedule with your airline or train line as the storm may cause unexpected delays.
The Japan Meteorological Service’s Typhoon tracking information may be found in English at this webpage: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/. Information about Typhoon Saola is also available from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at https://metoc.ndbc.noaa.gov/jtwc.
Note that the current Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR) for U.S. military installations on Okinawa may be found here: https://shogunweather.com/tccor//.
Kadena Airbase also has tropical cyclone forecast information at https://shogunweather.com/tropicalcycloneforecast/.
All U.S. citizens living in or traveling to the area should monitor local weather reports, follow directions from local officials, and take other appropriate actions as needed.
For further information about security in Japan:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Japan Country Specific Information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler-Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- For any emergencies involving U.S. citizens, please contact the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of either the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo or one of the U.S. Consulates in Japan.
U.S. Embassy Tokyo
American Citizen Services
1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
Tel: 03-3224-5000
After Hours: 03-3224-5000
Fax: 03-3224-5856
The U.S. Embassy serves Americans in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata and Yamanashi.
Osaka-Kobe
11-5, Nishitenma 2-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8543
Tel: 06-6315-5912
Fax: 06-6315-5914
Serving Americans in Osaka, Aichi, Ehime, Fukui, Gifu, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Ishikawa, Kagawa, Kochi, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Okayama, Shimane, Shiga, Tokushima, Tottori, Toyama, and Wakayama prefectures.
Nagoya
Nagoya International Center Bldg. 6th floor
1-47-1 Nagono, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya 450-0001
Tel (052) 581-4501
Fax: (052) 581-3190
Providing emergency consular services only (including death and arrest cases) for Americans living in Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures.
Fukuoka
5-26, Ohori 2-chome
Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0052
Tel: 092-751-9331
Fax: 092-725-3772
Serving Americans in Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga and Yamaguchi prefectures.
Sapporo
Kita 1-jo, Nishi 28-chome
Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0821
Tel: 011-641-1115
Fax: 011-643-1283
Serving Americans in Akita, Aomori, Hokkaido, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
Naha
2-1-1 Toyama, Urasoe City
Okinawa 901-2104
Phone: 098.876.4211
Fax: 098.876.4243
Serving Americans in Okinawa and the Amami Oshima Island group
