Typhoon Dolphin hits Japan's Okinawa, China shuts ports ahead of landfall

Typhoon Dolphin struck Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, leaving five people injured and cutting power to approximately 14,000 homes. In the Kagoshima prefecture, another person sustained injuries, and nearly 39,000 buildings lost electricity.

Domestic airlines ANA and Japan Airlines canceled flights to and from Okinawa due to the storm. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that as of 3 a.m. GMT, the typhoon was situated about 160 km northwest of Kume Island, moving northwest at 15 km/h, with sustained winds of 162 km/h and gusts up to 216 km/h.

Meanwhile, China has raised its emergency response level for Typhoon Dolphin to Level III, the second-lowest tier, anticipating its landfall between late Sunday and early Monday. Authorities are concerned about potential flooding and landslides along the coast, particularly between Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province and Fuding city in Fujian province.

In preparation, Chinese authorities have halted port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes in Zhejiang province. Ningbo Lishe International Airport in Zhejiang will cease operations, and Shanghai's Yangshan port has been cleared of vessels. Some rail services in the Yangtze River Delta are also set to be suspended.

Taiwan reported the cancellation of 78 international flights due to the typhoon, with heavy rain expected over the weekend. However, no evacuations were ordered. Notably, China has mandated that ships in the Taiwan Strait must comply with its traffic control instructions during the typhoon, a measure that Taipei has denounced, given China's claims over Taiwan.