TOKYO: Typhoon Lupit approached Japan's southern islands Monday and was forecast to churn along the country's east coast, brushing Tokyo the next day, the weather agency said.
The typhoon last week headed towards the main Philippine island of Luzon but made a sharp turn north, to the relief of the country still dealing with the devastation of two previous deadly storms.
The typhoon was Monday morning moving northeast at a speed of 35 kilometres (22 miles) per hour, packing winds with gusts of up to 144 kilometres per hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
It was expected to move northeast along the Pacific coast of the Japanese main islands, sweeping the Tokyo area Tuesday, but the eye of the storm was not forecast to make landfall.
The approaching typhoon forced the Japan Coast Guard to halt rescue efforts shortly before noon Monday for a boat carrying eight fishermen that went missing Saturday, a local coastguard official said.
The 19-ton Kofuku Maru No. 1 was 300 kilometres south of Tokyo when it last communicated with the fleet on Saturday afternoon, a local coastguard official said earlier.
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Typhoon Lupit nears southern Japan 
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