Okinawa 1988-1991

Okinawa 1988-1991

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tropical Storm Jangmi

Japan issued warnings for potentially damaging rains and flooding as Tropical Storm Jangmi headed across the East China Sea toward the islands of Okinawa and Kyushu.

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Four Americans missing off Okinawa

A YACHT with four US citizens aboard went missing today in waters south of the East China Sea as Typhoon Jangmi pounded the area, the Japanese coast guard said.

The coast guard said it was searching for the yacht after its office on the southern Okinawa island received a radio distress signal overnight.

"We then confirmed it was a US-registered yacht, Jade Princess, with the US coast guard," the Japanese coast guard official said.

Four US citizens are aboard Jade Princess, which was sailing from Malaysia to Okinawa, the official said.

"We received the signal shortly before noon from a location some 83km south-southwest of Iriomote island," he said, referring to a small Japanese island near Taiwan.

The typhoon is the strongest to hit Taiwan this year. It is expected to reach Japan's Okinawa island chain by Wednesday, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency.

Jangmi, meaning "rose" in Korean, made landfall in Taiwan's north-eastern Ilan county around 5.40pm AEST yesterday, according to local officials.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tropical Storm Sinlaku

Tropical Storm Sinlaku, which left seven people dead when it battered Taiwan as a typhoon, moved back over open water and was forecast to strengthen on its approach to the southern islands of Japan.

Sinlaku was located over the South China Sea about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north-northeast of the Japanese island of Miyako with maximum sustained winds of 74 kilometers per hour at 3 p.m.

Sinlaku's winds were gusting to 111 kph as the storm slowly headed east-northeast away from Taiwan. The storm's sustained winds are expected to strengthen to 93 kph, with gusts to 130 kph, by tomorrow as it swings to the east and heads for the Okinawa island chain, Japan's weather agency said.

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