TOKYO Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with heavy rain and very strong winds on Thursday, snarling air traffic and knocking out power to more than a quarter million households.

At least three people were killed. Major automakers including Toyota and Nissan suspended operations in some or all of their domestic factories due to the storm, while chipmaker Renesas decided to temporarily halt production at four factories.

The typhoon, with gusts of up to 50 metres per second (180kph or 112mph), was near the Unzen city in the Nagasaki prefecture at 1.45pm (0445 GMT), moving north at about 15kph, according to the weather agency. The storm earlier made landfall near the Satsumasendai city on the southwestern island of Kyushu.

Authorities warned the storm could be one of the strongest ever to hit the region, and local governments have issued evacuation orders for millions of residents in several prefectures.

Three people were dead, one was missing, two were severely injured, and five suffered minor injuries because of the typhoon, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

"As this typhoon is moving slowly, the total amount of rain could be rather big," Hayashi told a regular news conference.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed walls torn and window glass of buildings broken in the Miyazaki city in southern Kyushu, with objects scattered on the street or hanging from utility poles.

Funeral parlour employee Tomoki Maeda was in a hearse when the typhoon struck in Miyazaki.

"I have never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life," Maeda told Reuters.

More than 250,000 households in seven prefectures were without power on Thursday afternoon, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. The utility earlier said there was no impact at its Sendai nuclear power plant.

After hovering over Kyushu for the next few days, the storm is expected to approach the central and eastern regions, including the capital Tokyo, around the weekend, the weather agency said.

Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have already announced cancellations of more than 600 domestic flights. Train services have been suspended in many areas of Kyushu.

Typhoon Shanshan is the latest harsh weather system to hit Japan, following Typhoon Ampil, which also led to blackouts and evacuations, earlier this month.

  - Reuters