Nearly two million people in Japan asked to leave home as Typhoon Dujuan arrives

Nearly two million people in Japan were asked to leave their homes on Monday, because a very strong storm was coming. The storm is called Typhoon Dujuan. It moved along the coast and brought heavy rain and strong wind. The evacuations were not mandatory, so people could choose to stay.

Japan's Meteorological Agency warned of a danger to life. Later, in most places, the warnings were lowered, but in Oshima Town the danger to life warning stayed. The storm had winds of 130 kilometres an hour and gusts of 194 kilometres an hour. More than 50,000 people lost their electricity.

Airlines cancelled many flights: Japan Airlines cancelled 135 and All Nippon Airways cancelled 140. Some trains near Tokyo stopped too. One person was hurt a little, and nine houses were damaged.

The typhoon came during a five-day holiday. Concerts at the Rock in Japan music festival were cancelled, and the Tokyo Game Show closed early on its last day. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delayed a trip to the United States to watch the storm. She was going to meet President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday.

This year the ocean is warmer than usual because of a weather pattern called "super El Niño". Warm water gives a storm more energy, so the wind is stronger, and the air holds more water, so the rain is heavier. In some places, up to 200mm of rain was expected in 24 hours. That is about the same as a normal September. The damage may not be known until Tuesday.