Japan braces for Typhoon Hagibis

Japan yesterday braced for a powerful typhoon barrelling towards Tokyo that has already forced the cancellation of two Rugby World Cup matches, disrupted the Suzuka Grand Prix and grounded flights. Overnight, Typhoon Hagibis was downgraded slightly from its "super typhoon" status, but was still forecast to be packing maximum gusts of 216 kilometres per hour when it makes landfall late today. The massive storm is expected to dump up to half a metre of rain on the Tokyo area in the 24 hours to midday tomorrow, with up to 80 centimetres forecast for the central Tokai region.