16 Injured, Evacuations Ordered After Typhoon Jongdari Strikes Japan

At least 16 people were injured and evacuations ordered Saturday as heavy rain fell on parts of Japan ahead of Typhoon Jongdari.

The storm made landfall around 1 a.m. local time Sunday in Japan's Mie prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane.

Numerous flights were canceled or delayed at Narita and Haneda, the two main airports serving Tokyo. 

Nearly 37,000 residents of Shobara in Hiroshima prefecture were ordered to evacuate as a precautionary measure, officials said.

The storm was heading west along Japan's Pacific coast before making landfall. It threatens to bring torrential rainfall to areas already reeling from devastating floods and landslides earlier this month. More than 200 people died from the unusually heavy rains. 

(MORE: Latest Forecast for Typhoon Jongdari)

Authorities warned that heavy rains could trigger landslides and river flooding in the region.

“We want people especially in the downpour-hit regions to pay close attention to the evacuation advisories,” Minako Sakurai, head of the agency’s weather consultation center, said Saturday, the Tokyo Times reports.

Jongdari's remnants could also bring some rain and gusty winds to South Korea early next week.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.