Japan's weather agency issued Saturday a special typhoon warning for Kagoshima Prefecture in the country's southwest as an "unprecedented" storm approached.

Large and powerful Typhoon Nanmadol could make landfall in Kagoshima and bring record rain to the prefecture and nearby areas, with the agency calling for maximum vigilance as violent winds and high waves are expected, possibly triggering landslides and flooding.

Such emergency warnings are only issued when an extraordinary natural phenomenon occurring once in a few decades is predicted in the country. It is the first such alert for areas apart from Okinawa Prefecture.

High waves are observed on the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Sept. 17, 2022, due to the approach of Typhoon Nanmadol. (Kyodo)

Japan's weather agency issued Saturday a special typhoon warning for Kagoshima Prefecture in the country's southwest as an "unprecedented" storm approached.

Large and powerful Typhoon Nanmadol could make landfall in Kagoshima and bring record rain to the prefecture and nearby areas, with the agency calling for maximum vigilance as violent winds and high waves are expected, possibly triggering landslides and flooding.

Such emergency warnings are only issued when an extraordinary natural phenomenon occurring once in a few decades is predicted in the country. It is the first such alert for areas apart from Okinawa Prefecture.

The typhoon, packing winds of up to 198 kilometers per hour with maximum gusts of 270 kph, is forecast to bring heavy rain to various parts of Japan during the three-day weekend through Monday.

The agency said southern Kyushu could receive up to 500 millimeters of rain in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. Sunday, while the Shikoku and Tokai regions in western and central Japan could see up to 300 mm of rainfall.

Some operators of trains and retail chains already decided to suspend part of their services in the Kyushu region on Sunday.