China braces for Typhoon Dolphin after storm lashes Japan's southern islands

Typhoon Dolphin has battered Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, leaving six people injured and causing power outages for more than 50,000 homes and businesses. The storm brought maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching up to 216 kph.

In Okinawa, five elderly individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with three falling due to the strong winds. Another person was injured in the Kagoshima prefecture. Authorities reported that nearly 39,000 buildings in Kagoshima and over 12,000 in Okinawa were left without power.

As the typhoon barrels toward China's east coast, authorities have responded by shutting down ports and suspending ferry services. Dolphin is anticipated to make landfall between late Sunday and early Monday local time. China has designated the storm an orange-category typhoon, the second-highest alert level, and raised its emergency response level to III, the second-lowest.

The National Meteorological Center forecasts winds of 38-45 meters per second near the storm's center as it approaches landfall, likely between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province. China's National Marine Forecasting Center issued a red-level warning for waves, predicting 5-to-8-meter waves in coastal waters off Zhejiang. Orange alerts are in effect for waves in coastal waters off Shanghai and northern Fujian. Several weather and disaster warnings, including those for heavy rain and geological disaster risks, are active.