Tropical storm hammers Japan with heavy rainfall, winds

TOKYO: Tropical Storm Meari unleashed heavy rains on Japan's main Honshu island as it headed northward toward the capital Tokyo on Saturday, according to Japanese weather officials.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Meari made landfall in Shizuoka prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, in the afternoon, bringing sudden heavy rains and blasting winds to a widespread area and prompting warnings about mudslides and flooding.